Seducing a Prince
by chloey24
Summary: Isabella Swan is an up and coming lifestlye writer at a major magazine. She is sent to Cordina at the request of Princess Rosalie to write a story about her family. While there she falls in love with the heir to the Cordinian throne. A/U A/H
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Return to Cordina

Seven years. Seven long, but fulfilling years. That's how long it's been since I've been to Cordina, seen my best friend, seen my older brother Emmett. Now I was returning to Cordina at the request of my best friend, Her Serene Highness Rosalie de Cordina, or simply put Rosalie Swan. Rosalie is my best friend, married to my brother, and is also the chatelaine of the Palace.

I met Rosalie Masen almost ten years ago when she first started at my boarding school. I was seventeen at the time, and painfully shy. Rosalie was sent to my boarding school to see how it was to live away from the palace for a little while. No one knew who she was at Twilight Academy. It was the reason that Rosalie chose that particular school. I had the good fortune of being her roommate, and despite the differences in our upbringing and looks we became fast friends. Rose is a 5'7 statuesque blond with beautiful blue eyes. I'm a 5'5 brunette with brown eyes. I had always felt very plain until I met Rosalie. Most people would think that standing anywhere near Rosalie would crush their self-esteem. Not me. It did at first but after living with Rosalie some of her kick-ass confidence wore off on me. She helped to make me over and taught me how to dress to make myself feel good about me. She came home with me for Thanksgiving break, and I introduced her to Emmett. It was like love at first sight for both of them. I couldn't have been happier for them. Of course, we still didn't know Rosalie was royalty when she came home with me. I think it made it easier for her to be herself and fall in love with Emmett because of that. She brought both Emmett and I home with her for Christmas break and that's when we found out who she really was. I still remember that day like it was yesterday despite the fact it was almost ten years ago.

_Flashback_

_Rosalie and I were eating lunch in the quad like we always did. She seemed nervous today which was unusual for Rose, she was always so confident. She kept fidgeting and pushing her food around on her plate not really eating anything. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I set my fork down and looked at her for a few minutes._

"_Alright, Rose. Tell me what the hell has you so bent out of shape today. I can't stand to see you looking so scared anymore," I said to her._

"_Bells, what are you doing for Christmas?" she asked._

"_Umm... I dunno. Probably hanging out here. Renee and Charlie are going to the South of France and neither Emmett or I want to go with them. We'll probably just stay at our respective schools and try to meet up for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Why?"_

"_Well…I was hoping I could convince you guys to come home with me for Christmas break. We'd have so much fun, you could meet my family, and there's something I have wanted to tell you both for a while now. I wasn't sure how to approach it and I think doing at my house would be best. It's kind of important and I want to do it somewhere familiar to me."_

"_Okay that sounds great. I have always wanted to see what Cordina looks like. You talk about it so little that I'm absolutely dying to see how beautiful it is."_

_After lunch we called Emmett and he agreed to go with us. Rose bought all of our tickets even though I had told her that Emmett and I could pay for ours ourselves. She was admandant about paying for them. We would be leaving the day school let out so Rose and I packed our suitcases with whatever we need for the next three weeks. As soon as school ended the day before break began we loaded our luggage into the trunk of my Mercedes Guardian and headed for Sea-Tac airport. We met Emmett at the check in and then proceeded to wait for our flight. Once we boarded the plane, Emmett and I were in awe. We had never flown first class before so it was a real treat. We played cards, laughed, talked, and finally slept through out the flight. Emmett awakened Rose and me just as the pilots were announcing our descent into Cordina. Once we left the plane we were greeted by a driver holding sign with name Masen written on it. Rose's dad had sent a limo to pick us up. The chauffer accompanied us to the baggage claim and we got our luggage and headed to Rose's house. The windows of the limo were tinted so dark that we couldn't see out of them, so to say that when we got out of the limo we were shocked is an understatement. In front of us was the most beautiful palace. It was a light pink color with turrets and large gardens surrounding it on every side. It overlooked the most beautiful view of the cliffs surrounding the country. My jaw dropped in shock and I heard Emmett mutter, "fuck me" under his breath his expression matching mine. Rose simply smiled sheepishly at us as she ushered inside. The inside was even more beautiful than the outside. Smooth polished marble and gleaming hardwood everywhere. Standing in the foyer looking around I was so entranced that I didn't notice the three men standing in front of us until Rose spoke up._

"_Hello, papa, Edward, Jasper. These are my friends Isabella and Emmett Swan. Isabella is my roommate and Emmett is her older brother. He attends our brother school Eclipse Academy," Rose told them._

_I finally was able to focus on the men standing in front of me. When I looked I almost wished I hadn't. Her father Carlisle, was an impressive man, blonde hair, blue eyes, and gentle compassionate smile on his face. Her brother Jasper was his mirror image and just as handsome as his father. The third man standing in front of me nearly made me swoon. He was tall well over six feet with the most unusual shade of bronze hair I had ever seen. He had piercing emerald green eyes and his face was set in a scowl. That was her oldest brother Edward apparently. Carlisle welcomed Emmett and I to their home and invited to follow them up to his office. Once we were all seated he began to tell us about Cordina. Rose spoke up and filled us in on exactly why they were so important in Cordina and her reasons for not telling us sooner. For about five minutes after their story ended the room was blanketed in thick silence. Emmett and I were both shocked speechless which never happens because Emmett is never speechless. Finally after looking at each of them to make sure that they weren't pulling our chains I looked at Rose._

"_Rose, I don't care if you're royal or not. To me you'll always just be Rosalie Masen, my best friend and sister. This doesn't change the fact that you are you. I wish you had told me sooner so I could have been prepared but it doesn't make me love you any less or any more than I already did. I'm so glad that you know you can trust me with this. That makes me love you more. You could be homeless and I still would love you. Thank you so much for choosing to be friends with me when you could have been friends with anyone," I told her sincerely._

_She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh Bells! Thank you so very much. You have no idea how terrible I felt keeping this from you guys!"_

_We had the best Christmas and New Year's we had ever had in Cordina. I loved Rose's family they were all great, well except for maybe Edward. He always seemed to be scowling when I saw him. Jasper and I became great friends. We hung out a lot and had a fair bit in common. He was always so laid back. We kissed once and then immediately agreed to never do it again because it felt like kissing a sibling._

"Ladies and Gentlemen we are now arriving in Cordina…" the pilot's voice brought me out of my memories and I sighed. I was getting nervous now. I couldn't figure out why Rosalie had asked my editor and close friend, Alice Brandon, to send me here on business. Usually the Masens tried to stay out of American magazines. When we landed I deplaned and retrieved my luggage. I walked out to the arrivals area and my breath caught on a gasp. There standing before me was none other than 'Prince Perfect,' His Royal Highness Edward de Cordina.

**_A/N: I own nothing. All characters belong to SM. Cordina belongs to Nora Roberts. I'm simply borrowing them. This is my first fanfic so please let me know what you think. I'll post another chapter as soon as I can._**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Arriving at the Palace

BPOV

My step faltered as I looked at Edward. He was just as beautiful as I remembered. His bronze hair was shining in sunlight and his eyes, oh my god his eyes. They were shining like emeralds, brighter than I had ever seen them. I approached him slowly and dipped into a curtsy. "Your Highness, it's nice to see you again," I said.

"Hello, Isabella. It has been a long time hasn't it? Welcome back to Cordina," he said offering his hand. I took it and instead of shaking as I had assumed he brought my hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it. My breath hitched as I looked at him. He looked up at me and smiled while offering his arm. I looped mine with his and escorted me out of the airport to the awaiting limo.

Once we were inside the limo, I turned to Edward and studied his face for a few moments. He looked the same as he had seven years ago for the most part. It was easy to see that he definitely matured in those seven years, however. His face before had been soft almost childlike. Now it was chiseled and angular. His jaw was strong and expression one of authority. When I had first met him his face had seemed to be set in a permanent scowl. The smile in the airport had certainly surprised me. I couldn't remember him ever having smiled at me before. I suppose though looking at him now; his face void of emotion altogether; that he was merely being polite for the paparazzi that were certainly hanging around. It wouldn't do for the heir to the Cordinian throne to be rude to anyone.

"Your Highness," I said looking at Edward, "not that I'm not grateful, but I thought Rose was picking me up from the airport so that we could go over what she wants out of this series of interviews and articles."

"Isabella, you are more than welcome for the ride. Rose called me this morning and told me that she would be unable to pick you up as she had a meeting the AHC board that she could not get out of. She would have had Jasper or Emmett come and get you but they were both tied up at the museum this morning and will be until late this afternoon. I was home so I offered to make sure you arrived at the palace safely. You wouldn't have been meeting with her about the content of your articles or interviews anyways. I will be handling that as Rosalie has a large amount of work to do with planning the AHC Ball and Fundraiser. She is expecting their second child soon as well so I decided to be the liaison between my family and your magazine," he told me politely.

I leaned back and pondered what he had told me as we drove towards the palace. I really needed to call Alice as soon as possible. I was going to kill her if she knew the whole time that I would be forced to work with 'Prince Perfect' and hadn't mentioned it to me. She was the only one that knew about my unrequited crush on Edward. I had met Alice my senior year in college when I interned at the magazine under her. I had become good friends with her when my internship ended. We kept in touch and when Rosalie came to visit me for graduation I introduced them. Alice was amazed that my brother was married to a princess but she never thought of Rose as anything but another woman she could be friends with. After Rose had left I told Alice the story of how we discovered who she was and a bit about her family. She was very impressed and managed to drag it out of me that I had a bit of an infatuation with Edward after about eight margaritas. She swore that he would be perfect for me and that I should pursue him to the best of my ability. It would be just like her to have concocted this elaborate plan to force us to spend time together. Then again I wouldn't put it past Rose to have done the same thing either. She had always made insinuations that she thought Edward and I would be good together. I simply laughed at them though. It's not that Edward was ever really outward rude to me, on the contrary he was very polite if were forced to be around one another in the company of others. Beyond those times he never spoke to me, but he had a way of looking at me that spoke volumes of his disapproval for me. It wasn't surprising, not that I didn't think I was pretty enough or anything hanging out with Rose and Alice had given me confidence in myself and my abilities, it's just that he _is_ the heir to the throne and therefore is expected to be married to someone of class not some American Journalist.

I was pulled from my musings by the door to the limo swinging open. I looked up to be greeted by a twinkling pair of bright blue eyes and a short shock of blonde hair. Letting out a surprised and happy squeal I jumped out of the limo into the waiting arms of Jasper Masen. Forgetting protocol that demanded I curtsy to each of the members of the royal family I hugged him tightly and then pulled to back to look at him. Jasper pressed his lips to mine quickly and firmly. The kiss was only friendly but I suppose to most bystanders could be taken as romantic. The only feelings behind the kiss were comfort, familiarity, and friendship on our parts however.

When Jazz set me back on my feet I gave an appraising look up and down. He grown several more inches since I had last seen and his shoulders seem much broader than they had a year ago when we had lunch in New York. I was on assignment to interview an actress and Jazz had shown up with her as her date. We had a great time laughing about it. The actress's interview lasted an hour and a half and then Jazz I made plans for dinner. That night some paparazzi had spotted us as we dined and took a multitude of photos. It was all over the papers the next day that Jazz and I were the next big thing.

"Hells Bells! It is so great to see you again. C'mon, I'll show to your room. Eddie here will have the luggage sent up to your room for you. We have so much catching up to do. I can't believe how much more beautiful you have gotten in such a sort time," Jazz said.

I blushed and looked down, "Damn it Jazz. You have got to stop complimenting me like that. You're going to give me a big ego. How have you…" I started.

I was cut of by Edward tersely cutting in with, "Jazz, I'm afraid Isabella will have to find you after our meeting. We need to go over our schedule for the interviews and articles, as well as discuss what can be written and what cannot. I'm afraid that I don't have a lot of time so I had planned to discuss this before you returned your meetings at the museum. I shall send Isabella to find you once we have covered the details."

With that he walked inside the palace without a backwards glance. I rolled my eyes at Jazz and followed soundlessly. Carefully navigating the stairs to Edward's office I thought to myself: _this is going to be hell. I can't believe I'm going to be forced to work with him. It's really too bad that his personality doesn't match his looks. I really wish I could figure out what the hell I did to make him despise me so damn much. _Once we reached his office I took a deep breath and followed him inside like I was marching to my own death.

**A/N: Okay so here's chapter two. I'm sorry they're so short. I'll try to make them longer but that may make it longer between posts. I sincerely thank everyone who has added me to their alerts and favorites. It made my day to those notices in my inbox. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think so far. I'm genuinely interested in your opinions!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Prince Perfect

BPOV

Once we entered Edward's office he strode purposefully over to his desk. He stood there staring at me for a good five minutes before letting out a sigh. "Isabella, please have a seat, this could take a while and I'm sure that you do not want to be on your feet for the entire meeting."

I shook my head and smiled politely as I sat. Once I had chosen my seat he slid into his desk chair, and I remembered that protocol demanded he only sit if his company sat. I took a few minutes to take in the appearance of his office while he was rustling around some papers that were stacked neatly on his desk. The whole office screamed MAN: dark cherry wood furniture in the way of the massive desk and floor to ceiling bookshelves that lined the rooms, rich and luxurious black leather furniture in the form of a couch and two armchairs placed at the perfect angles in front of his desk. The wall behind the desk was floor to ceiling glass with a set of doors that opened on his personal terrace. It offered a breathtaking view of the Cordinian landscape beyond. I could almost see myself sitting behind his desk facing the windows and loosing myself in the view. I really hoped that my room this time offered some similar sort of view. It would go a long towards inspiring my writing both the personal and professional. I finally returned my gaze to Edward and was once again struck by how beautiful he really was. With the sunlight glinting off of his bronze hair and him sitting so primly in his seat it was almost as if he was an angel. He must have felt my eyes on him because his head snapped up and his eyes met mine. I could have sworn I saw a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth, but I immediately dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"Your Highness, I don't mean to sound impatient but could we please start discussing what you want to put into the articles? I'm very tired and would really like to retire to my room before dinner so that I may be a bit more alert," I said.

"Of course, Isabella. Now first of all there is a contract that has been approved by your editor and my family. I need for you to read and sign it. It simply states that all final approvals of content are to be made by the family before they are sent to your editor for publishing. I know that it usually does not work that way, but with some of the things that have made it back to the states recently we prefer to know exactly what is being said before it is printed. It's not that I do not trust you to do your job properly or that I feel you will say anything negative about the family but…" he said.

I cut him off there, as I angrily said, "Damn it, Edward! Do you honestly believe that I could ever portray your family in bad light? This family is as much mine as is it yours. Rose is like a sister to me and I care for you all very much. The bad press you're speaking of is the whole reason that I no longer have boyfriend in New York. That asshole reporter saw me having dinner with Jasper and his freaking jealousy made him start all of those rumors. Jacob Black no longer works at the New York Times. He'll be lucky if he could get a job anywhere after the hell Alice and I put him through."

I jumped to my feet and began pacing. I was vaguely smug when protocol forced him stand when I did. I couldn't believe that he honestly thought I would ever say anything negative about him or his family. Jazz and Rose were like my own siblings and though he didn't know it I could never say anything horrible about him no matter how many times he pissed me off. Carlisle is like a second father to me and I would sooner cut off my own arm than allow him to be subject any negative media especially from me.

"Isabella, that is not what I…" he started.

"Bella," I cut him off again, "It's Bella. We've know each other for seven years and you should know that I hate being called Isabella. Do really think so little of me?"

"Bella, then," he started again, "Sit down. Please. I did not mean to imply that you would say anything negative about my family. Hell heir or not Emmett would probably kill me and bury somewhere on the property if I even implied that about you. This is more for the lawyer's sake than ours. I, personally, have no opinion of your writing as I have never read anything you have written. You are right though, I have known you for seven years now and I know that you would never do anything like that. You are much too kind to ever be so cruel. You have piqued my curiosity though. What exactly does that mess in New York Times have to do with the demise of your relationship?"

I sighed and said, "Well it's a long story, but I guess you have right to know. I started dating Jacob Black about a year ago. We met an art gallery opening that we were both covering. We hit it off really well and went to dinner several times over the next month. Things progressed from there and we started dating exclusively. He was always very sweet and loved to hear about my time in school with Rose and Emmett. I didn't realize it at the time but he was fishing for anything he could use to write a story on you guys. Anyways, we had been dating for about six months when I was sent to interview some up and coming starlet and to my surprise Jazz was with her. After the interview Jazz I made to plans to go to dinner to catch up as it had been awhile since we had seen each other. Jacob was on assignment that night, so I called and told him I was meeting a friend for dinner. He asked who it was and when I told him he went ballistic. He claimed that there was more there than friendship between Jazz and I and basically accused me of cheating on him. I was pissed but I never imagined that he would retaliate the way he did. I shrugged it off and went to dinner. The next day when I got to work there was a lot of whispering and crazy stares directed at me and about me. Alice rushed in and handed me the copy of the paper. On the cover of was a picture of me and Jazz at dinner. We were talking about Jacob's reaction and when the reporter had snapped the shot it appeared that we were holding hands. Once I read the story and saw the other pictures I was furious. Alice was as well. She couldn't believe that Jake would stoop so low. The other pictures had all come from my personal photo albums. The bastard had copied them and printed them in the paper. His article had basically accused me of being a gold-digging slut and Jazz of being a womanizing jerk. Alice and I contacted the magazine's lawyers and filed a suit against both Jake and the New York Times. Needless to say we won, Jake lost his job, and has since been unable to find work as a report anywhere since."

Edward sat there looking at me in shock for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing heartily. He laughed so hard that he tears streaming down his face. I think it was the first time I had ever seen him so carefree in the entire time I had known him. Once his laughter died down he smiled at me.

"Bella, I had no idea that you were so strong. A much lesser person would have broken after the story hit. I must admit you never cease to surprise me. I actually feel sorry for anyone who dares to cross you. Now about the articles…" he finished.

We spent another two hours outlining what I wanted to do with the story and interviews. We decided that my first interview would be with Rose and Emmett, the next with Jazz, then Edward, and finally the interview with Carlisle. Each interview would be published in the same issue that the article came out in. I would be staying in Cordina from now until a week following the Aid for Handicap Children fundraiser ball that Rose threw every year. The article would cover the family's every day life as well as their professional duties to their country. Once Edward was satisfied with the outline he stood.

"Bella, I can't wait to read what you put together on our family. Why don't you go on to your room? I'll have your personal maid, Camille, show you where it is located. If you need anything do not hesitate to ask. My father should be back in the country with in the next two weeks and he is looking forward to seeing you again. Rose and Emmett will be joining us for dinner tomorrow night. I will also arrange for you to get a tour of the building where your office will be located during your stay. I know that the bulk of your article will focus on the AHC Ball so I have arranged for you to have an office at the AHC building near Rose's. Dinner will be at seven pm in the parlor. It was a pleasure speaking with you," Edward said.

I curtsied and said, "Thank you Your Highness. I'm looking forward to getting started on my work. I appreciate the accommodations and I will see you at dinner tonight."

I walked out the door to the young woman waiting for me. She led me up to the suite of rooms I would be using during my stay in Cordina. They were breathtaking as usual, but exhaustion began to overcome and I simply slipped into the bed and slept for the next three hours.

**A/N: Sorry about not posting last night you guys. My youngest was sick and I didn't get a chance to make it to the computer. Okay so next chapter I'm thinking of doing in EPOV from the airport until the ending of thier meeting. But that depends on you all. Give me some reviews and let me know if you want the EPOV. I'm also thinking of including APOV, EMPOV, and RPOV. Let me know what you want and I'll do my best. I may not be able to upday Thursday night. My sister-in-law is graduating and we're going out of town so I may not get to update until Friday. I'm also in need of a beta. If anyone is interested let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Thinking about Isabella

EPOV

I watched as the door closed behind Isabella. I was thankful that she was out my office. It took nearly all of my control to keep myself planted behind my desk and not just attack her. I wanted her so badly it hurt. I have always wanted her. It just took me awhile to realize it. I remember the first time I ever really noticed the attraction to her.

_Flashback_

_It was the night of Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. Our families had gathered at our chateau in the South of France for the ceremony. Rose had Isabella as her maid of honor and Emmett had me as his best man. This meant that I had to escort Isabella out of the chateau and then dance with her at the ceremony. I had no desire to do so at all. I assumed she was as vapid and shallow as all of the other girls that went to school with Rosalie and Isabella. True, I had known her for three years at this point yet I had never had a real conversation with her before so I knew virtually nothing about her._

_I know she and Jazz were very close and I assumed that they had a secret romance going on. They were always whispering in corners and sitting close together whenever they were around each other. With that thought in mind it confirmed what I assumed about her. Jazz wasn't known to have meaningful conversations with women. They were the epitome of vapid and shallow, and there had been a lot of them. He was somewhat the playboy of the family and never shied away from the media attention. Knowing him like I do, I couldn't bring myself to think too much about Isabella. I figured she was in it for the perks: name in the paper, bragging rights, etc. So imagine my surprise when I saw her walking down that aisle the day of Rose's wedding. She literally took my breath away. Her dress was a dark Sapphire blue with a halter style top. It clung to her every curve in the most tantalizing way. Her mahogany hair was swept up into a style that left loose ringlets cascading down. Her brown eyes sparkled in happiness and mischievousness. She was radiant. I could barely keep my eyes off of her during the ceremony. When it was our turn to exit the chateau after the vows I held my elbow out to her and had to mask my surprise with indifference when an electric jolt shot through her skin into mine. I had no idea how I was going to make it through the reception and dance we would have to be around her in. I thanked the Lord that I had had to master my control over the years because I was having a hard time not thinking about Isabella._

_When it was time for the toast to the happy couple Isabella was first. I remember with clarity the words she said that day. Those words were what made me realize my opinion of her personality was far off the mark._

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to propose a toast to the bride and groom. I met Rosalie Masen the first day of my junior year at Twilight Academy. I was so completely intimidated by this beautiful woman and I had no idea she was a princess yet. I just remember looking at this gorgeous blonde woman and feeling like there had been some mistake, surely this girl shouldn't be subject to my pitiful presence. That all changed when she spoke to me. We became the best of friends. I had always wanted a sister and in essence that is what Rosalie became to me. She brought me out of my shell and gave me the confidence in myself I so clearly lacked. The first time I found out Rosalie was a princess was when I visited Cordina for the first time. I had never seen her nervous before, yet when she told us who she really was, she was terrified. It made her even more endearing to me. She chose me as her friend so there must something decent in me after all. So in order to repay her, I introduced her to my brother, Emmett. I knew they were perfect for each other. I could see it in the way they looked at each other the first time they met. It was as if they were fated to be. I could not have asked for a better woman to be with my brother, nor could I have asked for a better friend and sister. Today we truly have become sisters. So, to Rose and Em, may your future be bright, blessed, happy, fulfilling, and may all of your dreams come true," by the time she finished there were tears streaming down her face and I could see how much she truly cared for her brother and my sister._

_I gave my speech immediately following hers and then they called the wedding party to the floor for their dances. I recognized the song playing immediately and reminded myself to thank Rose for that selection. As I swept Isabella into my arms, she had a surprised, yet scared look on her face._

"_Claire de Lune?" she murmured in surprise._

"_You know Debussy?" I asked._

"_This is my favorite," she whispered, "and let me apologize in advance for any damage done your feet during this dance. I'm a horrible dancer."_

"_Relax, it's all in the leading," I told her with a smile. She returned the smile with a slight blush. For some reason that blush really was adorable on her. I had to remind myself that she was with my brother, which made me feel so guilty and jealous that I decided to avoid her for the rest of the night after our dance. I still kept my eye on her but I never approached her._

_End Flashback_

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair before leaning my head back and pinching the bridge of my nose. I was thoroughly frustrated with myself. I had lashed out at her at the beginning of the meeting because jealousy and need were eating me alive. When I saw that article that had been written about her and my brother in the New York Times I was torn. I knew the press was brutal and I knew that she wasn't what they made her out to be, but at that moment I hated my brother for being so close to her. I was eaten with guilt over that feeling and I felt a slight pain at the thought that she wanted him that way. I was highly impressed when she called me on my behavior, despite the fact that no one had ever done that before. She truly didn't treat me as a piece of fodder for her work. I suspected that she didn't like me much due to her use of the words 'Your Highness' every time I was around her. She had no trouble calling Jazz and Rose by their names, but she refused to do so with me. It irritated me, but also helped to remind me that she only saw me as a position and not a friend. When she had told me what she and her friend Alice had done to that reporter who wrote the article I was proud of her. It didn't escape my notice that she had been dating the reporter, which confused the hell out of me, since I knew she was with my brother. I guess, though, that they weren't exclusive since they saw each other so infrequently. _It doesn't matter how serious they are, Edward, he is still your brother and that makes her off-limits._

Damn the woman she made me crazy. Her scent lingered in my office even now. It was amazing strawberries and freesia. I wanted to nuzzle my face into her hair and drink that scent in every time she was anywhere near me. After she thoroughly ripped me a new one, as Emmett would say, I apologized and we managed to work out a schedule amicably. I heaved a sigh and rose from my desk. As I exited my office and locked the doors, I could hear her tinkling laughter coming from the library down the hall from me. I walked down the hall to the library and surveyed the scene in front of me: Isabella had Jasper pinned to the floor and was straddling his waist. She had his arms pinned above his head and they were looking intently at one another. Her long locks falling over her shoulders to spill around them like a curtain. She was leaned down so that their lips were almost touching and they were both laughing. _This is going to be a long year,_ I thought to myself as I cleared my throat to alert them to my presence.

**A/N: So I hope you enjoy the EPOV. Sorry I didn't to get to post sooner. My sis-in-law graduated so we went out of town. Leave me a review and tell me what you thought. I'd like to get a few more reviews so I know what everyone thinks of this story so far. Also let me know if you have any suggestions or if there is anything you want to happen. I can promise that there will be some Bella/Edward action soon. No it's not a full on lemon yet but maybe a bit more than a kiss! Thanks for all of the reviews and alerts I've recieved so far. They make me do a happy dance!**


	5. Background and Family Histories

**A/N: I had a few reviews asking me for clarification of the family history and the background of Cordina. I plan to work most of this into the story but I figured it couldn't hurt to give a brief overview here. I started out with the family history for the Masens, next is the Swan's. I also gave a description of what Cordina is all about and how long it has been around on the bottom. Let me know if you guys need any more clarification.**

Family Tree for Masen Family

Edward and Elizabeth Masen: Mother and Father to Carlisle Masen

Carlisle Masen-Prince or Cordina (married Esme Cullen)

Rosalie Masen- Her Serene Highness of Cordina (Married Emmett Swan)

Edward Masen- Heir to the Cordinian Throne

Jasper Masen- younger brother of Rosalie and Edward Masen

Swan Family Tree

Renee and Charlie Swan (parents of Bella and Emmett)

Isabella Swan- younger sister of Emmett Swan

Emmett Swan- older brother of Isabella and husband of Rosalie

Ages:

Rose and Bella are both 27

Emmett is 28

Edward is 26

Jasper is 25

Alice is 30

Carlisle is 48

Family Histories

Carlisle Masen is the only child of Edward and Elizabeth Masen. He is the Prince of Cordina. He married Esme Cullen when they were in their twenties and she died when Rosalie, Edward, and Jasper were children. Rosalie is the oldest Masen child, she is unable to rule because she is a female. Edward is the middle Masen child. As the oldest male his is the heir to the throne. Jasper Masen is the youngest Masen, he was in the military due to the fact that he will not rule Cordina.

Renee and Charlie Swan are the parents of Emmett and Isabella Swan. Emmett is one year older than Isabella. Isabella introduced Rosalie to Emmett during their junior of high school. When Emmett was twenty-one and Rosalie was twenty they got married. They have been married for seven years and will be announcing some very exciting news in the upcoming chapters. Isabella went to college and got a degree in journalism. She works for a major magazine (the name of which will be announced shortly!). During college she interned for Alice Brandon and eventually got the full time position at the magazine after getting her degree. More will be revealed about Alice and the connection with in the family in subsequent chapters. If you have any questions please be sure to pm me or shoot me a review.

Back History of Cordina

First of all Cordina is a principality which means that while there is royalty there are no kings or queens. Only princes and princesses. While Cordina is a very forward thinking country, and many of their women are in the work force, females are still not allowed to rule the country. That responsibility falls to the oldest male child. Typically the youngest male will enter the military. Cordina is located in the Mediterranean and it is primarily a shipping port but also has a healthy tourism industry. The Masen's have ruled since the seventeenth century. In 1657, another Edward Masen was granted the principality and it has remained in Masen possession to this day. It will continue to do so until there are no male heirs to take over the throne. It is a very progressive country. It is a member of the United Nations, has a Minister of State that assists the ruling Prince, there is a Council of the Crown which meets three times a year and must be consulted on international treaties, there is also a National Council which approves all laws and those members are elected by the people, women are in the government but only a small percentage. At the present moment Cordina is at peace, but that may change. Only time will tell.

I hope this answers most of your questions. Please feel free to shoot me a review or pm if you need clarification of anything else!


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay this chapter covers the basics of how Alice and Bella became friends and should raise some eyebrows on the Jasper/Bella twist. It should clarify some things to the reader.. Keep in mind Edward only knows what he sees not what is really going on with Jasper/Bella. It also shows some more of Edward's 'mood swings'. There will be a JPOV soon because I think that while Bella plays matchmaker for him and Alice, he will start to notice certain things in his brother that will lead him to his own conclusions and ultimately those will help him hook up with Alice. Emmett and Rose will make an appearance in the next chapter as well as something major that will shock the Royal Family and their friends.**

Chapter 5: About Alice and Dinner with Prince Perfect

BPOV

After I woke from my nap I noted that it was only three in the afternoon in Cordina. That meant that the magazine offices would be opening in about half an hour. I decided to shower and dress while I waited for the office to open. When I was done I was still jet-lagged but felt refreshed. I dressed in jeans and simple T-shirt leaving my hair loose and applying minimal make up. Alice would throw a fit if she saw my ensemble but I figured that since she wasn't here I'd take advantage of it. I pulled out my cell and speed dialed the magazine offices.

"Cosmo Magazine, how may I direct your call?" the nasally voice of Lauren Mallory greeted me.

"Alice Brandon's office please. This is Bella Swan," I answered her.

"Oh hold on Bella," she sneered, "I'll see if she wants to talk to your sorry ass."

I rolled my eyes as I listened to the rings connecting me to Alice's personal office line. After three rings I heard, "Alice Brandon speaking, how may I help you?"

**(A/N: Bella is bold, **_Alice is in Italics)_

"**How about taking those new Loubitins and beating yourself in the head for me you meddlesome little pixie? What the hell were you thinking not telling me that HE is the liaison Ali? You know how I feel about him damn it!"**

"_Bella! I take it you made it safely to Cordina then? How was Prince Perfect? Still as sexy as you claim? How was the meeting honey?"_

"**Must you always meddle, pixie? You could have warned me that I would be meeting with Prince Perfect himself on my first fucking day here. I could have better prepared myself for his glaring disapproval of me. The meeting was fine, once I managed to get him over his obsessive arrogance it went well. I think you'll be pleased with the schedule we devised. I'll get you the details when I fly back in next week for the meeting. Now on to more interesting news. I saw Jasper today."**

"_Lucky bitch! I can't wait to meet him, I just know we'll be great together. I'm sure I can end that 'playboy' reputation he has going on. I know he's younger than me but I can feel it, Bells. He's my soul mate. Oh, and don't pretend that you didn't enjoy spending all that time with Edward. You know it would be a lie. And what the hell are you doing in those damn nasty clothes? I thought I burned all of your lazy crap!"_

"**How the hell… never mind I forget you have a sixth sense when it comes to fashion, pixie. Oh Ali, I know you and Jazz will be great together. He's such a great guy. All he really needs is a woman who can help reign in all that charm. I'll do what I can from my end to get him interested, which shouldn't be too hard. You just need to concentrate on getting yourself here so he can see your greatness in person. Listen, I'm going to go find Jazz. Promise me that there are no more surprises, Ali. I don't think I could handle it. I'll call you later in the week to let you know when to get me from the airport. Love ya honey!"**

After I hung up my phone, I left my room to go find Jazz. I was heading back down stairs when I ran straight into him.

"Hells Bells! There you are. I thought you were still locked in Eddie's office. I hope everything went all right. Does he still have all his body parts or should I call father and tell him that his heir is no longer able to perform his duties?" Jazz said.

"It was fine Jazz. Just another brush with Prince Perfect. He just rubs me the wrong way. He's always wound so tight and so high strung. I swear he hates me Jazz. I just wish I knew why. It's infuriating. You know he basically accused me of trying to sabotage your family in my articles. I could have chopped him to bits," I told him.

"C'mon, let's go to the library and get a drink, darlin'. We can have a rematch of our last sparring session and I won't go easy on you this time."

"Oh you mean the session where I pinned you twice? That sounds like a perfect way to work off the frustration your brother seems to invoke in me."

"It was once and I was half drunk. Not to mention I don't hit women."

"I call bullshit, Jazz. Bullshit. If you had had a clean shot at me you would have taken me down. You wouldn't have cared if I was a woman or not, Your Highness."

"True, True. You know me too well, Swan."

We had reached the library by now, and Jazz went over to the bar to fix our drinks. He handed me my Grey Goose and Cranberry while taking a sip of his scotch. One thing I can say is that Jazz remembers how a woman likes her drinks. I can see why all the women were charmed by him.

"So tell me about this Alice you think I should meet, Hells Bells. What's she like?" he asked.

"Well I met Alice when I was doing my internship in college. She is the editor-in-chief for Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is amazing Jazz. She's so focused and driven. She graduated high school at sixteen and college at nineteen. She's been with the magazine ever since. She's worked her way from the bottom up. At thirty she is the youngest editor of the magazine. She's a fireball. She's about 4'11" with short spiky brown hair and blue eyes. She is the epitome of the fashionista. She lives to shop and shops to live. After my internship she offered me a full time position and we became close friends. We share a penthouse in New York and she works her magic on me when we go out somewhere. If she could she'd make me into her life size Barbie. She is constantly replacing my clothes with stupid expensive things I'm terrified to wear. She's like a big sister to me. She's helped me so much in my career. I swear Jazz, she can get anything she puts her mind to. She's coming over with me when I come back from New York next week. You'll love her. I have to warn you she can be intimidating, especially if you criticize her shopping habits or her wardrobe choices," I told him. I stood up and started pacing my frustration leeching through. He watched me with amused eyes and then stood up.

I paused on my circuit around the room, and I could see him coming at me from behind. When he reached out to grab me I spun and swept his feet out from underneath him and pounced. I had him pinned in no time flat. I suppose those self defense classes Alice forced me to take were really paying off. I looked down at him and grinned.

"Got you! Again. This time your stone sober, Jazz. So do you want to meet Alice?" I asked him.

He smiled back up at me while nodding his head, "Laugh it up, Swan. I'll manage to pin you one day! I would love to meet Alice when she comes. She sounds wonderful."

"AHEM!"

I jumped off of Jasper and whirled around to face the door where the noise had come from. I was met face to face with Edward. I felt my face flush at the position he must have seen me in with Jasper.

"Your Highness," I said while curtsying, "you startled me. I hadn't heard you enter."

"I can see that, Isabella," he said, "it appears you were otherwise…engaged."

"Oh, Eddie, lighten up. Bells' was showing me some moves she learned in her self-defense class. She's a wonder at it that's for sure. She had me pinned in next to no time. For the third time. What did you need, brother?" Jazz asked.

"Oh, well there is a phone call for you from the Equestrian Society. I transferred it to your office. Dinner will be ready at seven sharp. I shall see you both then," Edward replied before spinning on his heel and exiting the room.

I looked at Jasper and we both wound up laughing until tears rolled down our faces. Jazz left to go take his call, and I decided to read one of Prince Carlisle's books for a bit before dinner. I chose a first edition of _Wuthering Heights_ from the shelf and settled in to read. I was about half-way through when I looked at my watch. I noticed it was already six and I hurried up to my room to dress for dinner.

Every dinner in this palace was considered formal and you were required to 'dress' for dinner. I took time choosing a dress, because, well hell, because I wanted Edward to think I looked nice. I finally settled on the Christian Siriano dress that Alice had commissioned for me. It was a stunning royal blue color with a plunging neckline and almost no back. I pair the dress with the Manholo Blahnik blue stilettos that Alice had forced me to learn to walk in. I surveyed myself in the mirror before sweeping my hair up and refreshing my make up. I sighed and resigned myself to being the best I could do. I admit the dress looked wonderful and made me feel wonderful but I truly wished that the pixie was here to do my hair and make up for me.

I reached the doors to the dining room and steeled myself to enter the room. I opened the door and stepped through. The sight that met my eyes made my step falter and breath catch in my throat. Edward was standing at the window, with his back to the room. He was dressed simply in black slacks and green shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The sunlight streamed in and glanced off of his hair making him appear to be highlighted like an angel. I admired his physique for a few moments before entering the room completely. He whirled to face me and I curtsied while bidding him a good evening.

He bowed and walked over to me carrying two wine glasses filled with white wine.

"Isabella, how are you this evening? I hope that you are enjoying your stay so far," he said while handing me one of the glasses.

I accepted it graciously and replied, "It's fine Your Highness. I have always loved spending any time I can in Cordina. I suppose we are waiting for Jasper?"

"Unfortunately, Jazz got called into a meeting at the Equestrian Society so it will be just the two of us for dinner tonight. The cook has prepared a delightful meal. She made poached orange salmon with wild rice for the main course, and because she remembered how fond you were of her chocolate mousse soufflé on your last visit she has prepared that for desert. Come, we will eat now," Edward said.

"Oh well you didn't have to trouble I could have dined in my room if you preferred. It would have been fine. I have a great deal of work to attend to before I go back to New York for the meeting with my editor next week," I told him.

"Nonsense. You are a guest in my home. We shall dine together. I'm sure your work can wait until after dinner. Now, I'm sure you are hungry, let's eat shall we?"

He offered me his arm and I took it. He walked me to the table and pulled out my chair for me. I smiled gratefully and sat down. We made small talk until the meal was served and then again as we ate. We had just started desert when Jasper breezed into the room and plopped rather ungracefully in the chair next to me. He sighed dramatically and threw his head back with his arm over his eyes.

"Why must those men be so stuffy and boring? I had a perfectly beautiful woman to have dinner with tonight. A wonderful dinner too, by the looks of it. Still they drag me down to the offices to discuss nonsense. All I could think about was that delicious soufflé you are now consuming," Jasper said.

I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. Edward pushed his half eaten desert away and stood, "If you'll excuse me, Isabella, Jasper, I must finish some work before I head to bed. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."

Jasper and I looked at each other before shrugging our shoulders at each other. He pulled the rest of Edward's desert to himself and dug in. Once we finished desert we headed to the garden's to talk for a bit before I decided to call it a night. I trudged back to my room and dressed for bed. Once my head hit the pillow, I fell into a deep sleep.

**A/N 2: Shoot me a review guys I wanna know how you liked this chapter. It's a fair bit longer than normal. Let me know your thoughts!**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay guys, here is the next chapter. This one is in EPOV. I know I promised that Rose and Emmett would be in this chapter, but I decided after the reviews that I recieved asking why Edward didn't just make a move on Bella that you deserved a peek inside his head. Think about it this way guys, you and a sibling are super close, you think your sibling is dating someone that you yourself are interested in. You are jealous, and that makes you feel guilty. You would have mood swings too. Would you just go after the person you were interested in? Keep that in mind as you read this chapter. Without further ado I give you His Royal Highness Edward de Cordina.**

Chapter 6: A Brother's Torment

EPOV

After giving the message to Jasper about the Equestrian Society call, I had to rush out of the room before I let my jealousy consume me. I hurried up to my suite of rooms and locked the door behind me. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. How was it possible that this woman could have this effect over me? I had never had anyone effect me this way before. It was the most exquisite torture I had ever experienced. It would be one thing if she was just some random woman I was interested in, but no, she has to be Jasper's girlfriend. My BROTHER'S girlfriend. That's what killed me. I couldn't do anything to jeopardize my relationship with my brother. He was my best friend and I truly cared about his feelings. I could see how he looked at Isabella, as if she was the only woman on the Earth. I knew I must look at her that way as well. For me she was the only woman I saw. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, tugging roughly. I decided to play my piano as I waited for dinner time to be served. I sat down at the baby grand and ran my fingers reverently over the keys. I played the scales to warm up and then segued into the song I had written for my mother. Suddenly the tune changed with out my realizing it. The new tune started off soft and sweet, rising to a faster more angry pitch. It made me increasingly frustrated. I slammed my hands angrily down on the keys. The song, that damn tune, reminded me of Isabella.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose while leaning my head back. I figured I'd give up on playing for now and just relax in my bed for a bit. I had just settled down with my copy of Shakespeare, when I heard a knock on my door.

"Entrez!" I called out.

"Hey Eddie, man, listen I just found out that I have to run to an emergency meeting at the Equestrian Society, so I won't be here for dinner. Can you let Bells know that I will see her when I return? We were supposed to hang out after dinner, we had some stuff to discuss," Jasper said.

"Fine, Jazz, I'll let her know. Do you know when you will be returning?" I asked. I couldn't help but feel elated that I would get to spend an entire evening alone with Isabella. Then the guilt came rushing in. What the hell was I thinking? _She's your brother's girlfriend, she's your brother's girlfriend._

"Thanks bro. I appreciate it. I'll try to be back as soon as possible," Jazz told me.

Once Jasper left, I glanced at my clock and realized that it was half six. I had to hurry if I wanted to be in the dinning room before Isabella arrived. I hurriedly changed into slacks and a button up shirt, pushing the sleeves up to my elbows. I hurried down to the dinning room and noted that I had indeed arrived before Isabella. I turned to the window and stood looking out over the vast landscape of Cordina. I heard the dinning room door open and stayed facing the window. Once I was sure she was in the room completely I turned to face her. My breathing hitched when I laid my eyes on her. She was stunning. Her dress was a bright blue color that had a neckline that plunged revealing a tantalizing glimpse at her ample cleavage. She curtsied and I returned the gesture with a bow. I made my way to her across the room holding two glasses of white wine.

"Isabella, how are you this evening? I hope that you are enjoying your stay so far," I told her holding out one of the glasses to her.

She accepted the glass with a small smile, "It's fine Your Highness. I have always loved spending any time I can in Cordina. I suppose we are waiting for Jasper?"

"Unfortunately, Jazz got called into a meeting at the Equestrian Society so it will be just the two of us for dinner tonight. The cook has prepared a delightful meal. She made poached orange salmon with wild rice for the main course, and because she remembered how fond you were of her chocolate mousse soufflé on your last visit she has prepared that for desert. Come, we will eat now," I said.

"Oh well you didn't have to trouble I could have dined in my room if you preferred. It would have been fine. I have a great deal of work to attend to before I go back to New York for the meeting with my editor next week," she told me.

"Nonsense. You are a guest in my home. We shall dine together. I'm sure your work can wait until after dinner. Now, I'm sure you are hungry, let's eat shall we?"

I offered her my arm and she accepted. I escorted her to the table and pulled out her chair. She slid into it quite gracefully for her. We made small talk as we waited for the meal to be served. Once the meal was served I decided to ask her some questions to get to know her better. By doing this I learned that her favorite color was green (this elicited a blush for some reason), her favorite book was _Wuthering Heights,_ and she had graduated from NYU before going to work for Cosmo magazine. We made a bit more small talk as dessert was being served. Just as we started to eat the dessert, my brother breezed into the room rambling about how stuffy the meeting he had attended was. I heard him say something about having a beautiful woman he'd rather spend his time with and I couldn't control myself anymore. The jealousy flared, followed by a spark of anger and guilt at myself. I pushed my half eaten dessert away and stood excusing myself under the guise having business that I needed to attend before retiring for the night.

I escaped the dinning room and made my way to my office. I reflected on the dinner I had just shared with Isabella. She truly was intriguing. I had hoped that by speaking with her the draw I felt to her would disappear, but it only served to make me desire her more. I sat there and pondered my predicament for a great deal longer. I finally decided the only thing I could do to preserve my sanity and the relationship I had with my brother was to avoid Isabella for the rest of the week. By the time she came back from her trip to New York I would have control over myself again and I should be able to contain myself around her. So for the rest of the week I stuck to my plan. I avoided her at all costs and made sure that we were never alone together. The plan was working well until the Friday before she was scheduled to fly back to New York for a week. That night was the turning point of my entire existence. After that night I knew I could never stay away from her, no matter the cost to my relationship with my brother. I simply had to have her. I would do anything in my power to get her. That is a promise.

**A/N 2: Okay I promise Rose and Em definately make their appearance in the next chapter. So does whatever it was that made Edward throw caution to the wind with regards to his feelings. I promise you won't be disappointed. I'll either post that chapter tonight or tomorrow. SO let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay guys here's the next chapter. Two up dates in one day. Go me. This chapter has it all: intrigue, danger, a steamy make out session, and a very pissed off Bella. Enjoy. I hope it was what you were waiting for! I also gave a clue as to who is part of the mystery surrounding the Masens with the bomb location. Good luck!**

Chapter 7: Comfort and Confrontations

BPOV

I woke the next morning completely rested and excited about visiting the AHC offices. After I showered, I dressed for the day. I decided to wear my black wide leg slacks, Emerald Green wrap-shirt, and a black blazer. I left my hair flowing down in curls and applied my make up. Once I was done I surveyed myself in the mirror. I decided that the look was definitely chic but professional. Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I made my way downstairs to the dinning room to grab a quick breakfast. My mouth was watering as I smelled the heavenly scent of coffee wafting through the door. I could also smell the eggs, bacon, and sausage that the cook had prepared for breakfast. When I entered I noticed the room was empty. I shrugged and fixed myself a plate of breakfast. I was almost done eating when I felt someone creeping up behind me. I jumped out of my chair and swung my fist at the same time. Luckily I realized at the last moment that it was my oaf of a brother. I was able to stop my fist within an inch of his nose. He was standing there with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide with shock. I couldn't help it and burst into a fit of giggles.

"Damn it, Emmett! I could have broken your nose. What the hell were you thinking sneaking up on me like that?" I asked him.

"Well, lil sis, I wasn't thinking that my sister had learned to turn her hands into deadly weapons in the last seven years. Where the hell did you learn such a wicked right hook from?" Emmett asked me.

"Self-defense classes. Alice forced me to take them with her when she was almost mugged a couple of years ago. We still go because it's a great workout. Plus I live in New York, you need to learn to take of yourself there. Damn I've missed you big bro!" I said while wrapping my arms around him.

Once he released me from the hug he advised that he would be dropping me off at the AHC offices before coming back to the palace to meet with Edward and Jasper. He would be picking Rose and I up from the offices later and bringing us back to the palace so that I could get ready for our dinner that night.

About half an hour later I was being shown around the AHC offices by Her Serene Highness herself. We chatted about how our life had been over the past few years. I filled her in on my plan to hook up Alice and Jasper and she agreed to help me out as much as possible. She also told me that she and Emmett had some big news to tell everyone at dinner that night. About two hours after I arrived she showed me to where my office was going to be and left to attend a meeting. I took the time to set up my schedules and finish polishing off a story I had started that Ali would need as soon as I arrived back in New York. Once Rose was done we called Emmett and headed back to the palace.

I dressed for dinner in simple black cocktail dress and made my way to the dinning room. This time it was Jazz who escorted me into the dinning room and helped me to my chair. We made some small talk until the appetizers were served. Rose decided that was the perfect moment to reveal their big secret.

She stood and raised her glass, then said, "Guys we have some great news. Emmett and I found out last week that we are going to be parents again. I'm about two months along now. I had hoped to wait until father returned to share the news, but I was about to combust keeping it in. I called him this morning and told him. We wanted all of you to share in the joy of our announcement, especially you Bells. We would like you to be the godmother to this baby."

"Rose, I'm touched! Of course I'll be the godmother. I can't believe you kept this secret for so long. I'm so excited. I get another wonderful niece or nephew to spoil now," I exclaimed.

Rose and Emmett already had two little ones. They had one boy, Charles Carlisle Swan, and one precious little girl, Elizabeth Esme Swan. Charles was four and Elizabeth was three. I had seen multiple pictures so I knew they were beautiful children, but I had only actually met the little one twice since they were born. It was hard to get our schedules to coincide so we most kept in touch through e-mail, phone calls, and Skype conversations. Edward and Jasper both congratulated Rose and Em on their announcement, and then we resumed with the small talk while we ate the rest of our meal. Em and I managed to catch each other up on what was going on in our lives over the last few months since we had spoken. He had taken to his job as head of security very well. Despite the fact that he refused to accept a title when he married Rose claiming that it didn't fit him, he had agreed to take over the security at the palace. He had planned to go into the FBI after graduation, but married Rosalie instead. He had never been happier, so I was convinced he had made the right decision. Once dinner wound down we said our goodnights and goodbyes and agreed to have dinner at Rose and Emmett's cottage on Friday night. I would be heading back to New York for a week on Saturday to finish up my column for the newest issue of the magazine and to help Alice select the few key people we would need bring with us to Cordina for the photo shoots and various other things we had planned. I hugged both Emmett and Rose goodbye and then headed off to bed.

The rest of the week passed much as the beginning did. The only exception was that I never saw Edward unless there were people around. He seemed to be avoiding me as much as possible. I was thankful for that as it allowed me to push him out of mind and focus on helping Rose plan the AHC ball. That all changed Friday night. Friday Night changed **everything** I thought I knew.

Friday dawned bright and clear. It was such a beautiful day that I decided to stay at the palace and enjoy it rather than go into work that day. I had just entered the dinning room and began to eat my breakfast when Edward came in looking distinctly horrible. He had bags under his eyes and they appeared to be lifeless. I was very concerned about him.

"Your Highness, is everything alright? You seem so different this morning. Would you care to talk about whatever is bothering you?" I asked him.

"My Father's office at the embassy in Italy was bombed last night," he told me in a monotone voice, "his assistant and my close friend Marcus was killed. It was a simple stroke of luck that he had been called out of his office only moments before the bomb went off. It blew up everything with in a twenty foot radius. Now I have to go inform Marcus's wife, Irina, that he will not be returning home to her and her children."

"Oh my God, Edward, I'm so sorry. Would you like for me to accompany you to talk with Irina?" I asked him.

"It doesn't concern you. There is no need, Isabella," he replied harshly.

"Well, excuse me, Your Highness, I simply thought that maybe having a woman would soften the blow for her a bit. You know we tend to need other women around us in situations such as these. But you are right; it doesn't concern me, no matter how much I care for this family. If you'll excuse me," I said angrily.

"Isabella, Bella, please wait. I'm sorry I did not mean to snap at you. I would certainly appreciate if you could come with me. It may help as I have no idea how to handle something like this. Please?" He asked me.

"Let me grab my purse. I'll be right back," I told him.

Telling Irina that her husband had been killed had been the most heart wrenching thing I had ever had to deal with. It was made worse because no one knew who had planted the bomb. Edward called Irina's sister Kate and informed her of what happened. She rushed over to be with her sister almost immediately. Once Edward and I left, I could barely hold back the tears thinking that it could have been Carlisle, who I regarded as a second father, that was killed by that bomb instead.

"Is your father coming home now?" I asked Edward.

"No he will not leave Italy until he is finished with his work there. He must stay now more than ever," Edward told me.

"But, why? I mean it seems to me that if someone is trying to kill him he should to protect himself," I said.

"He is Carlisle de Cordina before Carlisle Masen, Isabella. He can not simply abandon his duties because someone has tried to kill him. It would be unbecoming of the Prince to do so," Edward told me.

"Well personally I think it's ridiculous, but I suppose that he does have a duty to his country he must uphold. I'm truly sorry about your friend Edward. I'm here if you need to talk about anything at all. You can find me in my suite today. I'm staying in. I shall see you at dinner tonight," I told him before heading back to my room. I decided to take a book and relax by the pool for a bit before I had to make myself presentable for Rose and Em's dinner.

I was laying by the pool, basking in the sun, and reading _Pride and Prejudice _when I saw a shadow standing over me. I looked up from my book to be greeted with the sight of Edward. He was stunning dressed in black slacks and a white button up shirt with a dark blue pinstriped tie. I know protocol demanded that I curtsy for him, but protocol be damned I was not curtsying in a fucking string bikini. I simply looked up at him and smiled.

"Isabella, I wanted to let you know how much I sincerely appreciated your help today. Had I been by myself I probably would have been unable to remain so calm. So, thank you," Edward said.

Once I recovered from the shock of his words I said, "Really it was no problem Edward. I was glad to help. How are you enjoying yourself this afternoon?"

"It is difficult, but I will manage," he said, still standing there.

I rolled my eyes and said, "For Heaven's sake Edward sit down and kick up your heels. You don't have to be so proper around me all the time. You can relax in the company of friends right?"

He sighed and sat down, "I don't have a lot of time to 'kick up my heels' at the moment. There are preparations that need to be made. It is a troubling time now. We must upgrade our defenses at the moment. I simply wanted to thank you and let you know Rose and Em are very excited for dinner tonight. I shall see you soon. You may want to come back in soon so that you do not burn your skin. I'll see you at dinner, Isabella."

With that he rose and left the pool area. I looked down and noted that my skin did indeed have a faint pink tint to it, only this time it wasn't due to blushing. Frustrated, I gathered my things and headed into the palace to begin getting ready for dinner.

We were at Rose's house later that evening sitting on the porch and watching the children play in the yard. Rose and I were chatting about mundane things such as big the little ones were now while Jasper, Edward, and Emmett were off looking at the horses in the stables. The cook came out and informed Rose that dinner was ready so she gathered the children and headed into clean them up while I offered to search out the men.

I headed over to the stables and opened the door to inform them that dinner was ready. To my surprise there was only one person in the stables.

"Jazz," I called out, "dinner is ready." I started to head in closer.

"I'm not Jasper but thank you for telling me nonetheless," I heard Edward's velvety voice reply.

"OH! Your Highness, I apologize, I assumed you were Jasper."

"I realize that. He and Emmett were heading back in to discuss some schematics or something."

"Oh, I see," I replied. My gaze fell on the horses and I couldn't help the smile on my face. "They are beautiful. I wish I knew how to…"

Before I could finish my sentence I tripped over a coil of rope and braced myself for the fall. I never made with the ground however; I opened my eyes to be met with the sparkling green orbs of Edward. He had managed to catch me before I pitched to the ground. I noticed how close our faces were and my breathing hitched.

"Th..th..thank you, Your Highness," I managed to squeak out.

"Edward damn it. My name is Edward. Must you make me feel like a position instead of a person?"

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to."

"Say it. Now. Say my name."

"Edward," it came out as a whispered plea.

"Again!"

"Edward," I said more forcefully this time.

"Fuck! Since I'm going to hell…" Edward said. Just then his lips descended on mine. I was stunned. So stunned I didn't respond at first. After the initial shock I felt as though my entire body was on fire. I slid my arms up his back and fisted my hands in his bronze locks. The kiss had started off slow and sweet, but soon became more heated. His hands roamed down my sides in long hard strokes and then trailed back up to cup my breasts. I pressed closer to him and began to tug his shirt loose from his pants. As our lips met again, his tongue brushed over my lower lip and I readily granted him entrance to my mouth. When we broke away to breath, I moaned out his name again. Just then we heard the door to the stable creak open.

"Hells Bells? You in here? Rose said to hurry so we can eat. I'm hungry woman!" I heard Jazz call out.

"Yeah, just a minute Jazz. I'm on my way. I'll meet you inside," I told him.

I looked back at Edward. We were both panting heavily and staring at each other. He broke the silence first.

"You change allegiances quickly, Isabella."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Kissing me and then running off to him. You change allegiances at the snap of a finger."

I could feel the blood under my skin. Then man had just kissed me senseless and left me aching for him and he had the nerve to accuse me of sleeping with his brother. He was the one who initiated the kiss in the first place. Any idiot could see that Jazz and I were only friends. He was like a child coveting someone he thought was unavailable.

"Fuck you, Edward Masen. I will not stand here and justify my actions to you. Just remember you deserve this and a hell of a lot more for being such a pompous ass, _Your Highness,_" I told him just as I drew my hand back and slapped across his face as hard I could. With that I whirled on my heel and fled the stable.

Dinner was tense affair. Rose and Em kept shooting me questioning looks and Jazz kept glaring at Edward. Jazz could read me like a book so he knew something had happened after he left the stables earlier. I was so glad that the dinner was over and we were heading back to the palace. I was drained both physically and emotionally from the roller coaster emotions I felt for Edward. I slipped into a deep sleep and that was the first time I dreamt of Edward Masen.

**A/N: Wow. Whiplash from Eddie moodswings anyone? But how about that kiss. Tell me what you think. Next chapter is Bella in New York, so you get to meet Alice and Bella will making some very big decisions as to what do about the situation with Eddie boy. Til next time my friends!**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay guys here's the New York chapter. I had originally planned a surprise in this chapter, but decided to hold off. See the second A/N for info on how to get the surprise. I hope you like it. Next chapter should be up tomorrow night at the latest. Enjoy! This is just a filler chapter so yeah..**

Chapter 8: New York, New York and Bella's Plan

BPOV

My flight to New York took off at 10:00 am Cordina time. I'd be arriving in New York at 1:30 pm New York time. I'd be just in time for the meeting, and then for the squealing night out with Alice we had planned. I was up at 6:00 am and ready to go by 7:30 am. I spent the time before having to leave for my flight with Jasper. We talked about what had happened in the stables at Rose and Em's. Jasper had seen and heard everything that Edward had said during and after that hot kiss. He flat out asked me what I felt about Edward and knowing that I couldn't lie to Jasper I told him the truth. I told him how I had fallen in love with Edward on our very first visit to Cordina all those years ago. I told him how every night I dream of nothing but Edward. I told him of my fears and how hurt it made me when Edward acted the way he did. I also told him I had no idea what to do now. Two hours before my flight was scheduled to depart Jazz drove me to the airport.

The flight was long and uneventful, but it gave me time to think. I had never been kissed the way Edward had kissed me before. It had ignited every nerve ending in my body. It shook me down to my very core. Now, I'm not a virgin but I haven't exactly been with bucket loads of men either. Even still I knew that no man could ever fire me up the Edward Masen did. Could I really give up everything I had worked so hard for just to be with a man? Did I really want all the responsibility that came along with being with someone in Edward's position? Was he really worth it? The answer to those questions was a resounding YES! I knew deep in my heart that no man would ever come close to being what Edward was to me. Then and there I made my decision.

I arrived in New York right on time and Alice was there at JFK ready to greet me. She squealed when she saw me and flung herself into my arms. She helped me to get my small amount of luggage and then we headed to her car.

"Umm…Ali, where's the Toyota?" I asked her. She had had a Toyota Prius for at least the last two years.

"Well, I saw this one day when I was bringing the Toyota into the shop. I fell in love with it and decided I just had to have it. I don't drive often here so I figured I'd indulge myself despite the ozone," she told me pointing to her new car. It certainly stuck out. It was a bright yellow Porsche 911 Turbo. Emmett had wanted one ever since they came out, only they weren't practical in Cordina.

We climbed into the car and headed down to the magazine offices. Once we made through the security and checked in to let the receptionist on duty that day, Jessica Stanley, know we were there we headed over to the elevators. Alice and I laughed at Jessica's failed attempt to flirt with our boss, Mike Newton. Poor girl, she was one of Lauren's cronies and didn't realize that Mike was gay. I told her about the time I found Lauren flirting with Mike's boyfriend Tyler Crowley when I was headed to lunch. We joked all the way up until we reached the conference room where the staff meeting was being held. The meeting was long and arduous as usual. The only exciting thing that happened was that we found out that I was nominated for a prestigious award for one of my columns in the issue that came out three months ago. Alice decided that we would be celebrating that tonight so she invited Mike and Tyler to tag along with us to Breaking Dawn, a new upscale club on the upper west side. After the meeting Alice and I headed into her office to discuss the parameters for the articles on the Royal family.

I gave her the rundown on how the series would progress. First we would run with the interview of Rose and Em. Next we would do a background piece on the Aid for Handicapped Children and why the Royal family had gotten involved with it. Then, we would do the piece on Edward and Jasper. We had decided to include both of them in one interview as they were both still bachelors and every woman wanted a shot with them. Following that interview we do a piece on the history of Cordina, then would come Carlisle's interview. Immediately after Carlisle's interview we do an overview of the entire Royal family. We would finish the series off with a bang in the form of the AHC Ball. We decided we would need two photographers, a make-up artist, and the two of us to handle the shoots. We spent the next four hours working on narrowing down the list of photographers and make-up crew that we were familiar with. In the end we decided on a husband and wife photography team: James and Victoria Hunter and Tanya Denali for the make up artist. We logged out for the night and headed back to our apartment to change clothes and head over to Breaking Dawn.

Alice and I arrived at Breaking Dawn at 10:00 pm that night. We gave our names to the bouncer at the door and were advised that Mike and Tyler were waiting for us in VIP Room 3. Ali and I headed up the stairs to the VIP sections and in no time we were sitting in posh seats catching up with our favorite duo. I summarized the Cordina Series for Mike and then talk turned to the family itself.

(A/N: **Bella, **_Alice, _Mike, _**Tyler)**_

"So Bella, are the men in that family as sexy as I've heard from the pixie here?"

"**Hell YES! Both Edward and Jasper are incredibly sexy. They exude sexiness from their pores Mike. You and Ty would both be walking around with your little buddies at full mast just from hearing them talk. Their dad, Carlisle, is also very sexy but in a more refined way. That reminds me, I have a secret!"**

"_**Spill sister! We wanna know what your secret is."**_

"_Yeah c'mon Bells! I can't believe you have a secret from me."_

"**Okay so we were having dinner with Rose and Em the other night. I went out to the stables to tell the guys dinner was ready and IsortamaybemadeoutwithEdwardandJazzcaughtus!**

"_**WHAT?!"**_

"**I sorta maybe made out with Edward and Jazz caught us!"**

"_OMG! Bella I can't believe you didn't tell me right away. So are you two together now? Does Em and Rose know? Wow, I can't wait to go to Cordina!"_

"**Whoa! Take a breath Pixie! No, we aren't together. As a matter of fact, I slapped him across the face. He accused me of being with Jasper and making out with him when his brother wasn't around. But, don't fret! I have a plan. This is what we we're gonna do Ali…"**

We called it a night about an hour after I told them all about my plan. The rest of the week passed by in a blur. I spent a lot of time just hanging out with Ali. We shopped til we dropped, ate delicious Chinese take out, and vegged on the sofa watching chick flicks. I did notice that Alice was starting to act kind of secretive as the week progressed, but I chalked it up to nerves at being about to meet Jasper for the first time. By the time Sunday rolled around we were both excited to finally head back to Cordina. Alice was ecstatic because she was going to meet Jasper finally and I was excited because I had a plan. I was going to seduce His Royal Highness Edward de Cordina and he'd never see it coming. I was going to make him fall in love with me by the time the AHC Ball was over, and then I was going to marry him and move to Cordina. I knew I'd be giving up a lot, but I'd be gaining so much more. The perks along the way wouldn't be so bad either. One way or another, I'd have Edward in my bed before the first part of the Cordina series hit stands. I promise that!

**A/N: Okay guys. I appreciate everyone of you who have added me or reviewed so far. I'm so glad you like it! The thing is I realized I really really enjoy getting reviews. So for the next few chapters there is going to be a special surprise sent to each of you who review that chapter. THis chapter I'm offering up a JPOV and and APOV. They go hand in hand. You'll only get them if you review. I may post em as a one shot after this story is complete but for now it's a bonus so to speak. Those two POVs contain a whole heap of important information. So..hit that little review button and you'll get your bonus with in the next 24 hrs. I have to finish editing it and get the next chapter started! Ciao for now!**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay guys here's Chapter nine. It wasn't the greatest, but It served it's purpose. Next chapter will be the meeting in Edward's office all from Bella's point of view and you may be pleasantly surprised at Edward and Bella both in that chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9: Seduction and Introductions

EPOV

The week that Isabella was gone back to New York was a stressful one for me. I couldn't get that kiss out of my head for more than five minutes at a time. I could still remember the way she tasted: sweet and spicy. I could remember the way she felt in my arms: soft, warm, and oh so perfect. I could remember the passion that flared in her eyes when she said my name. Then it crashed back into mind how badly I screwed it up by saying what I said. I honestly didn't mean to, but what am I to think when she calls out to my brother so affectionately after having her tongue in my mouth. I hadn't planned to kiss her when I saw her. Hell, I was still trying to keep a distance from her so I didn't ravage her. Yet, when she tripped and I caught her I just had to find out if the sparks were really there for either of us, and damn! What sparks they were. We could have ignited the barn with all the sparks we were giving off. I spent the three days following that kiss in my office brooding at what an arrogant ass I had been. Then I decided to form a plan to get Bella to fall in love with me. I knew it wouldn't be easy, and I knew it may ruin my relationship with my brother but I needed her. I need her like I need air to breathe. I formed my plan and vowed that nothing would stop me from completing it.

The first step of my plan was to pick Isabella and her friend Alice up from the airport. I was preparing to go tell my brother that I would go and retrieve them when he entered my office and requested that I go. He had an emergency at the museum that he needed to attend to immediately. I assured him that I would be glad to do so and carefully hid the smirk on my face until he left my office. I headed out about an hour later to get to the airport.

I had been waiting for maybe forty-five minutes when I heard her bell like laugh. I looked up and smiled. She was walking a woman who was no taller than 5'0 and they were laughing about something. She looked so carefree that I could feel my smile growing larger. I took a moment to observe her while she was occupied. She was even more stunning than she had been that night in the stable. She had on a short black skirt with a midnight blue shirt that gave a perfect glimpse of her cleavage. The thing that almost caused me to groan out loud was her boots. They were thigh-high and had a heel that had to be at least four inches. I couldn't help the visions running through my head of her in my bed with her legs wrapped around my waist wearing nothing but those boots and a blush. _Good God! I'm turning to Emmett! I can't believe I'm thinking about that now!_ She stopped when she was a foot away from and dipped into the most formal curtsey she could manage in her outfit. I smiled at her and grabbed her hand planting a lingering kiss on the back of it. She looked shocked and I couldn't help chuckle at her.

She pulled her hand out of my grasp and introduced me to her companion.

"Your Highness, this is Alice Brandon. My roommate, best friend, and editor at Cosmo," she said.

I glanced at the little woman who was shooting me a very appraising glance that made me slightly uncomfortable and said, "it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Brandon. Welcome to Cordina." I then bowed and bent to pick up their luggage.

The little pixie like woman gave a nod and curtsied. I could feel her still studying me as I led them out to the awaiting limo. Once we were in and on our way I turned on the radio in the back to have it play Clair de Lune quietly on the ride back. I noticed Isabella smile slightly while glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

"You know this has always been my favorite song. It was made my favorite even more at Rose and Em's wedding when I danced to it with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen," I said.

I heard Isabella's deep intake of breath and grinned cheekily to myself.

"Is that so? Well you know it has always been Bella's favorite as well. It's the only song she has ever really danced formally to. Isn't that a coincidence?" Alice asked while smiling mischievously at me.

"Indeed, Ms. Brandon, it is," I replied. We made small talk the remainder of the way to the palace. Isabella kept fidgeting in her seat anxiously, and wished I could read her mind to know what her so worked up.

BPOV

The flight back to Cordina was long and boring. Alice and I talked for a few hours and then napped for a couple of more. She woke me an hour and a half before we were scheduled to land and handed me clothes and shoes while ordering me to stop complaining and go put them on. She said the outfit was guaranteed to knock Edward's socks off. She promised it would drive him even crazier if as soon as I saw Jasper I laid a hot kiss on him in front of Edward. I argued until she made me call Jasper and spill my plans to him. He agreed with Alice (surprise, surprise) and offered to help make Edward jealous as much as possible. He thought we should be more subtle about it so we compromised. We would make things seem hotter than they really were between Jazz and I anytime Edward was around. He also informed me that Edward would be picking us up at the airport as the museum called about some emergency that needed to be seen to right away. At least I was prepared this time. When we reached the arrivals area of the airport I immediately spotted Edward. I pointed him out to Alice and she grinned.

"Holy Fuck, Bells! I know you said he was hot, but that man is literally sex-on-a-fucking-stick! How have you not landed him in bed yet?" Alice asked.

I threw my head back and laughed, "Alice, why do you think I need your help. The man is so blind and fucking stubborn that we may need to hit him with a 2x4 before he realizes that I'm in love with him and want to screw his brains out every night for the rest of my life.

We laughed about it until we reached Edward. I stopped a foot away and looked at him under my lashes as I curtsied. I had the pleasure of seeing that fire in his eyes again for one moment until he composed himself. _This is going to be easier than I thought._ I expected him to bow, but instead he grabbed my hand and placed a lingering kiss on it. Thank God for Alice because I almost swooned when he did that. I pulled out of his grasp when I saw his smirk and introduced Ali to him. On the ride to the palace Alice and Edward made small talk about anything and everything while I stayed quiet. When we pulled up to the palace I saw Jazz standing on the steps and smiled to myself. As soon as we were out of the limo, I bounced into his arms and gave him a rough kiss on the lips. He pulled me closer to him as he nuzzled his head into my neck and whispered, "make it look good, darling." I grinned as I heard Edward huff.

"If you will all excuse me, I shall see you at dinner tonight. It will be at 7:30 pm in the dinning room," Edward said before stalking to the doors.

I smiled at my two best friends and thought to myself _Game On Masen!_

Edward paused at the palace doors and turned back to face us, "Oh and Isabella, I need to see you in my office in about an hour to discuss some things with you before dinner. Please come there after you have finished unpacking. It is extremely important."

"Sure, one hour, your office, see you there _Your Highness_," I replied.

I smiled at Jazz after Edward was gone and we headed in to call Rose and Em to see if we could meet them tomorrow as I would need their help to pull this plan off.

**A/N: Thanks for all the revies and alerts so far! Keep em coming and this chapter you get a preview of a conversation between Emmett and Jasper. This is the conversation that happened before the phone call to ALice. I'll even throw in some of the steps in Bella's Plan for you guys!**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Alright ladies and gents, here is Chapter 10. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have proposition for you all. I need to know who you want to cave first. Edward or Bella. Also do you want Edward's POV on the whole meeting that just took place? Let me know guys.**

Chapter 10: What the Hell Just Happened?

BPOV

After we made our back into the palace we headed up the stairs to my suite. On the way we stopped off at the suite of rooms Ali would be occupying during her stay with us. Once we had showed her where she would be staying, we continued on our way to my room. I sighed happily as I sat down in the chair in the seating area. Things had gotten off to a roaring start in my plan to make Edward fall in love with me.

I grinned at Ali and Jazz and said, "Well, phase one is now in effect. Let's give my brother and Rose a call to see about that lunch meeting tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Hells Bells," Jazz responded even though he and Ali appeared to be locked in some Jedi mind trick stare.

Alice said, "So what does he want to meet to with Bella about now? I mean we just got back and we're not scheduled to start any interviews or anything in the next couple of days. We still have to wait on the photographers and such to arrive before we can do any shoots or anything."

"I don't know. He didn't say anything to me about it. I don't have the slightest clue what he wishes to talk to Bells about," Jasper answered her.

"It doesn't matter. I'll just go see what he wants. Maybe he wants to redo the schedule or something. Whatever, I'm calling Rose and Em now," I told them.

I called Rose at her office and asked her if she and Em could join us for lunch tomorrow somewhere in the city and she readily agreed. She was excited to see Alice again and wanted to do some shopping as well. Once we hung up I related the shopping to Alice and she squealed loudly and bounced around. Jazz reached out and touched her shoulder and she calmed almost instantly. I was completely shocked as I had never seen anyone able to do that for Alice before. After standing there with my mouth hanging open for a good five minutes I ordered Ali and Jazz out so that I could shower and change clothes before going to see what Edward wanted in his office.

Once I was finished with my shower, I looked at the note and clothes sitting on my bed.

_Bella,_

_Put these on and make sure you keep the fuck-me boots as part of the ensemble. Lil Eddie will definitely want to come out and play. Come to my room after so we can see how it went._

_Love,_

_Ali_

I smiled and shook my head. She was devious that's for sure. The outfit she laid out for me was perfect: a short pleated mini-skirt in black and a jade green silk tank-top with a plunging neckline. I accessorized with a necklace that dipped in between my breasts and a pair of large hoop earrings in white-gold. Satisfied I made my way to Edward's office.

I knocked on his door and was told to enter. I pushed the door open to reveal Edward standing off to the side of his desk smiling at me.

"Ah, Isabella. Thank you for coming on short notice. I'm sure you want to rest so I won't keep you long. Won't you have seat, please?" he asked me.

"Thank you, Your Highness. It was no trouble. What can I help you with?" I asked him after I had curtsied.

"Well, I wanted to apologize for the things I said to you the last time we saw each other. They were extremely rude and in no way true. I'm the one who initiated the kiss and I'm sorry for treating you so terribly. Can you please forgive me?" Edward asked looking up at me from under his eyelashes with his eyes smoldering.

Damn him. How does he turn me to mush with just one little look? Well two can play at that game. I reached out and laid my hand gently on his knee while looking directly into his eyes.

"Edward," I purred, "There is nothing to forgive. I understand you are under a great deal of stress, and that is most likely why you lashed out at me. Don't think of it ever again. I apologize for losing my temper as well. I shouldn't have slapped you. I was simply lost in the heat of the moment."

I had leaned in ever so slightly and slid my hand up his thigh just a bit. I slid it back down as I went to sit back and felt him shiver. I smiled inwardly and it boosted my confidence greatly to know that I affected him as well. I stood and smiled wickedly as he did as well. I walked over to the French doors leading to his terrace and pushed them open. I inhaled and turned to face him.

"I just love to stand here and breathe in the air. It's so perfect and serene here. It makes me never want to leave. I love the view as well," I said purposefully raking my eyes over his body and back up again before making eye contact with him.

He walked towards me slowly, like a predator stalking its prey, and stopped within two inches of me before saying, "yes the view is marvelous from where I'm standing. It's simply breathtaking. However, I don't want to talk about the view, Isabella. I want you to know that you will have to choose and choose soon. I won't wait forever. Just know that I'm not giving up."

What the hell was he talking about? I smiled and said, "Sure, Your Highness. But what am I choosing and why?"

He grinned cockily at me and said, "When you figure it out Isabella let me know. I'll be waiting. I'm sorry but you'll have to excuse me for now. I have to call my father to firm up some travel arrangements. I shall you at dinner, Isabella."

"Sure, I'll see you there," I answered him.

I turned to go and had just placed my hand on the door when I felt his warm breath on my neck. I turned slowly around to face him and looked up into his eyes. My breath caught as I realized how close our faces were to each other. One inch or so and I could press my lips to his. He shifted and placed palms flat on the door on either side of my head. He continued to stare into my eyes as he slowly lowered his head inch by inch until our lips met. This kiss was not gentle at all. His warm lips were insistent and feverish on mine. His tongue slid out to lick my bottom lip and I happily granted him entrance to my mouth. As our tongues battled for dominance my arms moved to loop around his neck and my hands tangled in his bronze locks. I gently tugged and Edward slid one hand off the door down my side and to the back of my thigh. He hitched my leg up around his waist and pressed me back into the door more as he ground himself against me. As quickly as he had trapped me, he let me go. I slumped against the door for a moment until I heard him speak.

"Just a little something to help you with your decision, Isabella. Remember I'll be waiting."

I could do nothing but nod as I twisted the doorknob and yanked it open. I all but ran up the stairs, tripping every few steps or so, to my room. I raced inside and stood there breathing heavily for a few moments. I thought to myself _WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?_ I was meant to be seducing him, not the other way around. Then it occurred to me that my job may not be as hard as I had anticipated. That thought shot a thrill through me from my head down to my feet. Once I had regained my composure, I straightened my clothes and made my way to Ali's room. _Bring it on Masen, this is going to happen on my terms. We will be on equal ground. One way or another!_

**A/N 2: Thanks you guys for all your support. I'm so glad that you are enjoying this. I have decided that for now no outtake for this chapter. Instead I'm offering up a spot in my story. For the seventy-fifth person to review this story I will add character in to your specifications. Name, age, hair, eyes, you name it. I will decide how they fit in but you get to decided the rest. So hit that button and leave me some love! Ciao, for now!**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: So here's chapter 11 everyone. This one is all in EPOV so you get a look at his mindset again as well as find out he's holding up with all of Bella's seduction. I'm sorry for the mini cllffie there but it will be rectified next chapter. I hope you all enjoy! We're still looking for number 75 so be sure to show some love and you could wind up in the story!**

Chapter 11: Brotherly Confrontations

EPOV

That woman was going to be the death of me one day. I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think she was intentionally trying to drive insane with lust. Isabella and Alice had returned to Cordina a week ago, and I can honestly say I was about to combust. Every time I had seen Bella in the past week she was in some outfit that revealed just enough to tantalize me mercilessly. It could be a short skirt, a very low cut top, or those damn boots of hers that screamed _fuck me!_ I can honestly say my favorite form of torture was those boots. They had stared in so many of my shower fantasies that I got hard just from hearing the clicking of her heels down the hallway. I was so full of pent up sexual frustration that I could barely concentrate. Plus, I was fueled with an intense anger at my brother because he got to touch her and I had to keep my hands to myself. I had backed off enough to give Isabella a fake sense of confidence in my giving up my pursuit of her. I would bide my time for just a little bit longer and then I would pounce when she least expected me to. It was in this frame of mind I found myself back in the music room working on the piece that had been inspired by Isabella. I had stopped playing to jot down a few notes when I heard giggling in the hallway, followed by my brother's laughter. Now normally this would not have been a cause for concern, but I knew that the female laughter most certainly did not belong to my Bella. I stood and quietly crept to the door. I inched it open just enough to peek out into the hallway. The sight I saw made my blood boil with anger. Jasper and Alice were locked in one of the most passionate embraces I had ever seen. He had picked her little frame up and had her legs wrapped around his waist while he pinned her to the wall. _How could he fucking do that Bella? I'm going to mutilate his ass and then do a happy dance as I ride off into the sunset with her. Damn it! What the fuck do I do?_

I thought about my options. I could either confront Jasper first, confront Alice, or I could go straight to Bella and risk her thinking I was lying. I didn't want to hurt Bella with out justification and frankly Alice scared the shit out of me. It was like she could see how in love Bella I was. So, option one it is then. I left the music room through the back door and headed down to my office. Once I was there I called Jasper and asked him to come speak with me. I sat behind my desk with my hands steepled in front of my face. Jasper arrived, looking distinctly disheveled and out of sorts, with in ten minutes.

(**Jasper **_Edward)_

"**Hey sorry Edward, I was just trying to find my car keys. What's up?"**

"_Don't lie to me, Jasper. I know you have a reputation and normally I could care less who you are off screwing, but for God's sake, have some respect for Bella. It is incredibly unfair to her if you can't keep it in your pants while you are sharing a home with her, especially if you doing it with one of her best friends."_

"**What the hell are you talking about Edward? I'm not doing anything wrong. Why would Bells care if I'm dating her best friend? She brought her here so that we could meet each other. Why do you care anyway? OH MY GOD! You are in love with Bella! You really are an idiot my brother."**

"_Wait, you mean you and Bella are not together? Are you sure she doesn't love you though? I mean it could be completely one-sided. I see you two together. You're always hiding away in corners, sharing secret looks, and whispering to each other. I just assumed that you were together."_

"**Good God man. Bella and I are more like siblings than anything. We do all those things because we rarely see each other. She has been trying to get me to hook up with one woman for awhile now, and so she brought Alice here. I think she pegged it this time. Edward, please tell me you did not accuse Bella of anything because you are blind. Oh man. No wonder she didn't tell you herself."**

"_I may have something inadvertently to her about it. I'm such a fool. Do you think she'll forgive me? I bet she absolutely hates me now."_

"**Slow down, Ed. She adores you. Trust me! I know these things. You just need to start treating her better. This huffing and storming off shit you do is giving even me whiplash. Talk to her about it. Tell her how you feel, but tread lightly. Don't sugarcoat anything and don't treat her like a porcelain doll. Bella can handle herself. She should be approached as an equal not a subject. Make sure if you do hook up with her you take of her or you'll have to with me and Emmett. And, I can assure you that it will not be pretty if she gets her heart broken yet again."**

I felt my heart lighten and my shoulders loose some of their weight after my conversation with Jasper. I was so happy that I nearly cried. She had never belonged to my brother. She was mine, she always would be. Now I just had to convince her of that.

I smiled inwardly as I changed into my fencing suit. I would work hard at it today so that I could relieve some of the underlying tension at what I now knew I had to do. I had no idea how to go about convincing my Bella that she belonged with me. Don't get me wrong I have enough experience with women to know how to keep them once I had them, but I had no experience in how to get them. Most women simply threw themselves at me, and while my knowledge was no where near that of Jasper's I had never had to work very hard for the few relationships I had had in the past.

My fencing partner, Laurent, and I were in the midst of a heated session when I heard the doors to the work out room open and close. I did not look to see who it was, but kept up with my parries and thrusts. I landed the game point on Laurent shortly there after. Laurent looked at me and smiled while excusing himself with a glance at the intruder. I pulled off my mask and met the chocolate eyes of my Bella. She had one eyebrow cocked up and her eyes were full of fire. They were a mix of anger and lust and I knew without a doubt I was in serious trouble.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: Alright you guys. So sorry about not updating last night, but I had a hot date with my hubby! Finally! LOL. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It sets up E&B to finally move on from their dancing around each other. Also, I'd like to congratulate Somanyobssessions. She was my 75th reviewer and has won her character a spot in my story! YAY! Keep an eye out for her Katy. She'll be here in a few more chapters. So without further ado here is chapter 12!**

Chapter 12: Secrets Revealed

BPOV

The week since my return to Cordina had been eventful to say the least. Carlisle had returned about three or four days after Ali and I arrived. I was in the gardens talking to Ali when Edward came out and announced that Carlisle had returned and wished to speak with me. He said he would meet Ali later, right now he wished to see the child he had missed so much over the last seven years. After that initial meeting with Carlisle when we were younger I had grown to love him as a father. He was such a caring man that you couldn't help but to love him. I smiled at Ali and told her I would find her after I had finished my visit with Carlisle. Edward led me into the palace and up to Carlisle's office. We stood outside the door for about five minutes just staring at each other. Finally I couldn't take it take it anymore and knocked on the door myself.

"Entrez," Carlisle called out.

I opened the door and walked in. I smiled at Carlisle and curtsied while saying, "Your Highness, it is so good to see you again. I have missed you."

He stood and bowed and then with a smile opened his arms and I ran into them hugging him tightly.

"Ah, ma petite. I have missed you as well. Time has certainly been good to you. Edward did not mention to me that you had gotten even more beautiful since the last time we saw you."

"Pfft. He notices nothing, Your Highness. Unless, of course, it is to criticize," I replied.

Edward quirked an eyebrow at me and said, "Non, mon couer. I simply did not feel it necessary to report to my father what is so blatantly obvious he could see with his own eyes. Only a blind man would miss that fact."

I blushed and shrugged, "So Your Highness, I am looking forward to getting the interviews done. My friend Alice is ecstatic that she can finally meet my second family. She and Rosalie have become the very best of friends, bonding over shopping of course!"

Carlisle grinned and said, "Ah, yes. Well only you seem to have that particular aversion my dear. They'll con you into it eventually I'm sure. Now, my son tells me you are an incredible writer. I myself cannot wait to read the articles you are writing for us. I am quite pleased you agreed to do these."

"Well, Jasper is a bit biased, sir. He always did know how to flatter the ladies. It's no wonder they are all so taken with him," I replied.

"Hmm. Yes well that is true, but in this case I was referring to Edward here. He hasn't stopped raving about your writing since Rosie showed him those articles you did on the Governor last year," Carlisle said.

"She only seems to think that I send off disapprovals, father, not compliments," Edward said in reply to my shocked expression at Carlisle's words.

"Well, when that is all your used to… Sorry, Your Highness, I forgot myself for a moment," I said.

"Never you mind," Carlisle said waving a hand. "I am quite used to my children fighting. It was great to see you again ma petite. I shall see you at dinner tonight. I cannot wait to meet your little Alice. She sounds like a spitfire."

I inclined my head as I rose, recognizing the gentle dismissal. I curtsied and then headed for the door. After leaving Carlisle's office I headed up to Ali's room. I informed her that I was going to be going down to the AHC offices for a bit to set up the photographers and venues I wanted to use in the city. I left about thirty minutes later and spent the next several hours making phone calls and setting up appointments for two weeks from that day to begin shooting photos of the Royal Family.

When I arrived back at the palace I ran square into Jasper. I shrieked and he laughed.

"Damn it Jazz. You scared the hell out of me! You're lucky I didn't break your nose," I told him.

"Hells Bells, you are a riot. Oh yeah, I had a lovely little chat with my brother today. I set the record straight on our whole relationship. I know you wanted to drag this out a bit, but Bells he caught me and Ali. I think he was ready to kill me for, how did he put it? Oh yeah, screwing around on the best woman I'd ever get. I simply informed that there was nothing there for me to screw around on," Jasper said.

"Ah, Jazz. It's fine. I had expected him crack sooner but now I can kick my next step into action. Have you seen him?"

"Fencing, my dear. In the work out room. Go get your man, sweetheart!"

I climbed the stairs to the work out room and entered silently. I stood to the back admiring the view of Edward's muscles rippling as he swerved and pivoted around his opponent. I would never admit to anyone, least of all Edward, that I had taken up fencing after watching how graceful he was at it. I heard the triumphant yell he let out as he landed a final blow to his opponent with his epee and schooled my face into a mask of anger.

He pulled his mask off and his eyes met mine. They were dancing with merriment and darkened as he looked at me. His opponent hastily made his way out of the room with a knowing smile in my direction.

I silently made my way to the rack of fencing equipment and pulled down an epee for myself. I tested its weight with a flick of my wrist, which earned a surprised look from Edward.

"They teach fencing at NYU, Isabella? I am impressed. I did not realize that a woman such as you would be interested in a man's sport," Edward said with a smirk.

That just pissed me off and made want to wipe that smirk right off of his face. I grabbed a vest and mask and secured the vest before turning to him and saying, "Yes, _Your Highness_, they do teach fencing at NYU, but I learned from Ali's father. He was an Olympic medalist in the sport. I believe you may have heard of him, John Brandon? He took the silver six years ago."

His mouth dropped open in shock at my words. Edward has missed those games due to increasing duties and he was quite upset by it. I smiled and pulled my mask over my head before stepping to the en garde line. I raised my epee and said, "En garde, Your Highness."

He shook his head and pulled his mask back on while saying, "As you wish Isabella."

We danced around each other for a bit, but I could tell he was holding back for my sake. I didn't want that, I wanted him to loose control and show me exactly how he felt so I decided to goad him a bit.

"I hear you spoke with Jasper today. I must say I am extremely angry that you confronted him about our relationship when it is none of your business to do so."

"You're angry? I had every right. Do you know how I felt when I thought I was coveting what belonged to my brother? I hated myself."

"That is my point. What, not who. What you thought belonged to your brother. It is insulting. I am a person, not a shiny red ball and I do not belong to anyone other than myself. I would have told you we were just friends if you hadn't treated me like a fucking toy. I don't see how you could have been tortured by anything. You are like a child envious because you want what Jasper has. Well to hell with you. If I wanted you in my bed I would have had you on your knees begging by now, you insolent, arrogant ass!"

"Isabella, if I wanted you in my bed you would have been there half a dozen times already and it would have been you who would have been begging me."

"I do not beg. I prefer men who can see me as their equal. Despite the fact that you are a Prince you are no better than I am. If I were to ever be in your bed, it would be on equal ground. I'll not have it any other way Edward. When you can come to me as a person instead of the heir to the throne, we will see what happens then."

With that final sentence our epees clashed and caught in a "V" with one of us one either side, both breathing heavily. I would hold my ground against him if I had to. I wanted him, but only when he wanted me as a person, not some object to toy with.

Edward pulled off his mask and dropped it to the floor. The heated look in his eyes took my breath away. He slowly reached up and eased the mask off my face and dropped to the floor beside his. Then he pushed the point of my epee to the floor with his. His free arm snaked around my waist and he tugged me close to him. I could feel every line of his hard body pressed against me. Slowly his face descended closer and closer to mine until there was but a breath between our lips. I met his lips with mine. He pressed into me harder and I matched him with equal force. I dropped the epee as he did. I wrapped both of my arms around his neck and tangled my hands in his hair. His now empty hand slid around my neck to cup it and press me tighter to him. Our snaked out at the same time and tangled together furiously. He poured himself into the kiss, and I did the same. _Equal ground._ I met him stroke for stroke, until we needed to break away for air. Even then his lips did not leave my skin. He trailed kisses down my jaw line and my neck nipping at it every so often. One of my hands snaked down his muscular back and under his jacket trying to get that much closer to his skin. He trailed his lips back up the same way he had trailed them down and then met my lips again. I don't know how long we stood kissing, but when we finally broke apart we were both panting heavily.

I looked at him and said, "I meant what I said, Edward. Equal ground. When you are ready for that, then and only then, will you have what you desire."

I turned on my heel and left the room. I would wait until he was able to prove to me that we could meet in the middle. It was the only way I could be sure that he wanted me as much as I wanted him. If it never happened, then, I would deal with the consequences, but I would not accept any less than all of him. If he gave me all of him, I would give him all of me as well.

**A/N 2: Thanks for all of your support guys. I truly appreciate it! Oh and from here on out things will get intense. There will be threats, a bit of fluff, and a lemon. Yeah Yeah, I've never done it before so I'm kinda worried about it. Review and you get a special peek at Carlisle's view of the meeting in his office and find out whether or not ALice and Jasper planned getting caught by Eddie! SO hit that button! YOu know you wanna!**


	14. Special Outtake

**A/N: Alright you guys voted and the yeses won. So without further ado here is the Carlisle and ALice Bonus!**

A Father Always Knows and What the Hell Were We Thinking?

What the Hell Were We Thinking?

APOV

We had been in Cordina for almost a week now and Bella's make Edward jealous plan was doing fine. I, however, was getting impatient. I didn't want to have to hide whatever was going with me and Jasper for much longer. It was like there was a magnet that drew me to him. He was everything I had ever wanted in a man. He exuded confidence and could calm me with just a touch. I know he's younger than me, but age is really only a number. Jasper and I had discussed what we should do to get Edward and Bella to just admit their feelings for each other and get it over with and we came up with the perfect plan. We would wait until Edward made his way to his music room and then stage a scene where we got 'caught.' If it all went according to plan Edward would confront Jasper, and Jasper would let it spill that he and Bella weren't together. It would force both of their hands and hopefully make them see some reason. They were both being incredibly childish at the moment. I love Bella like a sister, but sometimes she can be a little too stubborn for her own good.

It was the same day that Prince Carlisle returned from Italy that Jazz and I put our plan into motion. While Bella was out at the AHC offices firming things up, Edward had locked himself in his music room. Jazz and I crept to the music room and listened to Edward play an incredibly beautiful piece. When the last notes had died down, I jumped at Jasper and forced him to make a loud noise. He pressed me into the wall while kissing me heatedly. I was elated, this kiss was solid gold. His hands started to roam as did mine. I heard the door to the music room creak and smiled inwardly. I cracked one eye open just a bit and noticed Edward scowling at us. He abruptly shut the door and I gave myself back to the kiss. Not even ten minutes later Jazz's phone rang and he smiled. He kissed me one last time and bounded off to go see his brother. Twenty minutes later he knocked on my door. He told me that our plan had been a success and I smiled. Then I pulled him further into the room and pushed him onto the bed. It was time.

A Father Always Knows

CPOV

I had arrived back from Italy only hours before Edward brought Isabella to see me. I was elated that she had come back to Cordina. Seven years was much too long to miss a child, and she truly was like one of my own. I knew without a doubt that my Esme would have loved her. My beloved Esme had died when our children were young. She had succumbed to the cancer that had so cruelly ravaged her body. Her only wish was for our children to be happy. Rosie had found that happiness with Emmett and I was grateful for it. My sons on the other hand, they worried me. Edward, as my heir, had it the worst. He always had to maintain tight control over himself. Jasper, my youngest, was much more laid back. He took everything in stride and relished the press's nickname for him: Playboy Prince. How appropriate. That boy loved women and they loved him. I prayed that both of my son's would find their someone someday. I was thinking about this when there was a knock at my door.

"Entrez," I called out. The door opened and I looked up to see my surrogate daughter grinning at me. She stepped in and curtsied.

I stood and bowed and then with a smile opened my arms and she ran into them hugging me tightly.

"Your Highness, it is so good to see you again. I have missed you."

"Ah, ma petite. I have missed you as well. Time has certainly been good to you. Edward did not mention to me that you had gotten even more beautiful since the last time we saw you."

"Pfft. He notices nothing, Your Highness. Unless, of course, it is to criticize," She replied.

Edward quirked an eyebrow at her and said, "Non, mon couer. I simply did not feel it necessary to report to my father what is so blatantly obvious he could see with his own eyes. Only a blind man would miss that fact."

She blushed and shrugged, "So Your Highness, I am looking forward to getting the interviews done. My friend Alice is ecstatic that she can finally meet my second family. She and Rosalie have become the very best of friends, bonding over shopping of course!"

I grinned and said, "Ah, yes. Well only you seem to have that particular aversion my dear. They'll con you into it eventually I'm sure. Now, my son tells me you are an incredible writer. I myself cannot wait to read the articles you are writing for us. I am quite pleased you agreed to do these."

"Well, Jasper is a bit biased, sir. He always did know how to flatter the ladies. It's no wonder they are all so taken with him," Bella replied.

"Hmm. Yes well that is true, but in this case I was referring to Edward here. He hasn't stopped raving about your writing since Rosie showed him those articles you did on the Governor last year," I said.

"She only seems to think that I send off disapprovals, father, not compliments," Edward said in reply to Bella's shocked expression at my words.

"Well, when that is all your used to… Sorry, Your Highness, I forgot myself for a moment," she said.

"Never you mind," I said waving a hand. "I am quite used to my children fighting. It was great to see you again ma petite. I shall see you at dinner tonight. I cannot wait to meet your little Alice. She sounds like a spitfire."

Bella inclined her graciously before rising to leave the room. Once she was gone I turned to my son and smiled, "How long have you been in love with her son?"

Edward's jaw dropped and he began to blush a blush that was worthy of Bella's. "Is it that obvious?"

"A father always knows my son."

"Almost since I met her. So about ten years give or take. I doubt she feels the same though. She can't seem to stand being around me for than five minutes without insulting me."

I laughed and said, "Well at least she makes you give up some of that tightly held control. Letting go every now and then will do wonders for you son. Don't let her get away."

"I won't father. She is my whole world. Now, however, I want to know how things are at the embassy after the bombing."

I sighed and rolled my shoulders, "Not well. The place is in a panic. Security has been tightened ten-fold. We have an idea who is behind it, but no way to prove it."

"Who is it, Papa? I have my suspicions and if I am correct they will not stop until they get what they want."

"I believe that Aro Volturi is behind this. Of course, he is in jail here so there is no way to know for sure. We'll keep digging and see if we can come up with any evidence. In the mean time do not fret, just focus on winning Bella's heart. She will be good for you, Edward."

Edward nodded and said, "Of course. I will leave you to your duties, papa. See you at dinner tonight. I have to get ready for my fencing lesson anyways."

He exited my office and I sighed again. I sincerely hope that we can find enough evidence to get Aro caught for this most recent attempt. For now, I would concentrate on my family. I smiled and sent a silent prayer to my wife to help our son's find their happiness soon.


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here is chapter 13. This chapter includes the introduction of somanyobsession's Katy. (I tried to send it to you, but it was too long for a pm!). Also we find out a bit about the drama that is gonna go down. Sorry for the mini cliffie. I'll definately make up for it in the next chapter.**

Chapter 13: Threats

BPOV

After I left Edward I headed to meet up with Alice and Jasper. I explained to them what had transpired. Ali commended me on growing a backbone and fessing up to what I really wanted, while Jasper told me that he knew everything would work out. I smiled and headed to get ready for dinner. Our dinner that night was an absolute riot. Alice was immediately taken with Carlisle. Who wouldn't be, after all the man was gorgeous and he ruled a country. Carlisle seemed to adore Alice as well. I noticed him watching Ali and Jasper and smiling to himself quite a bit. I could tell that things were going well for Ali and Jasper and I couldn't be happier for them. Edward was missing from the family dinner as he had some crazy function to go to with a member of the Council of the Crown. Once dinner had died down that night we all went our separate ways.

The next few days flew by in a blur. Alice and I made flight arrangements for James and Victoria, our photographers. Then we had to rush through a security clearance on Tanya's assistant, Katy, who she insisted on bringing to Cordina. Why the woman thought she'd need an assistant is beyond me, but I guess it wouldn't hurt anything. Once the clearance came back we booked them a flight as well. All four were scheduled to arrive in Cordina on Thursday morning and Ali and I were to meet them at the airport. I spent some time booking hotel rooms and setting up security for the four of them. At the end of the day Ali and I always went back to the palace. We would have dinner with Carlisle, Jasper, and Edward and sometimes Rose and Em would visit as well. I barely had time to see Edward let alone make any progress in my plan. It was becoming very frustrating.

Thursday morning dawned bright and clear. Alice and I were up at seven to get to the airport. It was actually located in Le Havre, which is a thirty minute drive from Cordina. We picked up James and Victoria first and then had to wait for Tanya and Katy. I studied James and Victoria while we were waiting. James was pretty nice looking: long sandy blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and a devilish smile. Victoria was intimidating: fiery red hair that cascaded in wild waves, flashing golden eyes, and a permanent scowl. We had been waiting for an hour when I heard a nasally voice calling my name. I turned around and was greeted with the sight of Tanya Denali. Now, don't get me wrong, Tanya was a very pretty woman. She had strawberry blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a body that most girls would kill for. I saw a smaller woman following behind her. That must be Katy. She was about 5'2" with long blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She was very wholesome girl next door. I could already tell that I would like her much more than Tanya. Tanya just seemed to scream skank to me, but she was good at her job.

Once we left the airport, we took them to their hotel to get unpacked. We had called a meeting at the AHC offices in an hour to get everyone on board with our plans. Alice and I arrived at the AHC offices about ten minutes after dropping everyone off. We were in the middle of a discussion about a shoot we wanted to with Rose and Em, when Rose showed up. We were all chatting when the phone rang.

"Hello. This is Bella Swan speaking, how can I help you?" I answered.

"Isabella Swan. You are a friend of the royal family, non?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Umm…yes I am a friend of the royal family. Why?" I asked.

"Tell them to heed a warning then little girl. They will give me what I want with in seventy-two hours or a member of the family will die," the voice on the other end said flatly.

"What is it that you want exactly? I need to know," I said.

"I want Aro Volturi released from jail with in seventy-two hours or I will follow on this warning," the voice said.

"I don't take kindly to threats and I assure you neither does the royal family. I'm afraid that you do not scare me," I told them.

"Not a threat little one, a warning. One you would well to heed. Remember seventy-two hours is the limit."

I hung up the phone with a shaking hand and turned to Rose.

"Did you drive here?" I asked her.

"No, Henri drove me today, why?"

"We need to get to get to father immediately. I will explain in the car. Ali, come with us and you can make the calls to James and company from there. We must go now."

I hurriedly gather my belongings and we raced out of the building. I explained the phone call to Rose and her face turned white as all the blood drained out of it. I begged her to tell me what the hell was going on, but she only shook her head and said that Carlisle would explain to everyone. We reached the palace in less than fifteen minutes and raced up to Carlisle's office.

I barely paused to knock on his door before bursting in and saying, "You need to release Aro Volturi with in seventy-two hours."

Rose and Alice had been right on my heels and they entered the office just in time to see me fall onto a couch and start to shake.

"Isabella, is that advice or a threat?" Carlisle asked me.

"Neither, Papa. Bella received a phone call at the AHC offices with that demand. She is simply afraid and did not mean it to come out that way. You know better than that," Rose said to him.

"Ah, sorry, ma petite. I was wondering how you even knew that name. It is not one I speak of around here. You are in luck that we were in a meeting about the bombing at the embassy. We are all here, now tell me what was said, s'il vous plait?"

I was shaking so badly that I couldn't speak. I felt someone press a glass into my hands and help me lift it to my lips. I took a sip and coughed as the strong brandy slid down my throat. I drank a few more sips and my body gradually began to calm to a point where I could speak.

"I was talking to Alice and Rose about the shoot for the magazine. We were discussing the location and I got a phone call. When I answered the man informed me that as a friend of the royal family I should pass on a warning to you. He said that if this Aro Volturi was not released with in seventy-two hours a member of the royal family would die. I informed him that none of us would bend to threats, but, Your Highness, one of you could die. I'm very worried," I told him.

"Bells, what did the voice sound like? Male or Female, young or old?" Emmett asked me.

"I'm not sure. It was very flat, almost mechanical. I couldn't tell the sex. I'm so sorry," I said looking at Edward. "Can someone tell who the hell this man is and why he wants to kill my family?"

"Everyone should have a seat. This is a long story. It may take a while to tell. Make yourselves comfortable," Carlisle instructed.

We all settled in to listen to Carlisle's story.

"About fifteen years ago, a group from Italy decided that my family was too powerful and set about to destroy us. This family wanted us out of the way so that they could take over our port. This family was into every piece of the pie: drugs, guns, human trafficking, you name they have done it. We spent ten years six years getting an operative into their family. The operative tried foil a shipment of guns and was sent back to us in pieces. This family is highly dangerous. They are the rulers of Volterra, another principality that is located in the heart of Italy. Two years after our operative was killed we managed to capture Aro Volturi. He was the leader at the time. He had taken over for Caius Volturi, his father. We thought that with Aro behind bars we could rest easy. Three years ago, someone tried to kidnap Rose. We managed to prevent it. Things have been quiet for the last three years, but now it appears it is starting up again and there has already been a casualty. My assistant, Marcus. The bomb at the Embassy in Italy was most certainly planted by one of Volturi's minions. I will double security and no one is allowed to go out with out a body guard. Rose, you and Em will need to move in here for now. Anytime one of you leaves you will have to make sure that the bodyguard is with you. I'm so sorry you girls got dragged into this mess," Carlisle said.

"I'm not. I'm glad we are here with you. You are all my family and I care about you very much. Now, Alice and I need go meet with the fantastic four we hired to help us out with our story. Thank you so much for being honest with me Carlisle. I will be safe as long as I have your permission to worry about you guys," I said.

"Permission granted ma petite. Be safe and take Felix with you. He is the best trained at the moment," Carlisle said.

Alice and I exited the room and started down the stairs. I turned to Ali and we just looked at each other.

"Ali, he could die. Oh my god, I can't lose him. What would I do with out him? He may not love me, but I damn sure love him. I have to do something."

"Bells, calm down. Nothing is going to happen to Edward. Nothing is going to happen to anyone. They have the best head of security here. You know your brother would never let anything happen to any of them or to us for that matter."

I sighed and nodded my head in consent. We found Felix waiting for us at the door and he escorted us to the AHC offices for our meeting. The meeting lasted an hour and then the six of us headed back to the palace for the official dinner. Carlisle had arranged it so that he could meet the people we would be working with. Victoria, Tanya, and Katy all stared at the palace with awe. James appraised it with a cool indifference. When we introduced the four of them to Carlisle and Jasper I thought the women were going to have a panic attack. James calmly greeted everyone and maintained a professional air throughout the whole meal. Dinner was nice, but it was missing Edward. I couldn't help but be worried about him. Once dinner concluded, we retired to our rooms and Victoria, James, Tanya, and Katy headed back to their hotel.

I sat in the window seat of my room looking out at the night sky. I was having trouble sleeping knowing Edward was here somewhere and in danger. I felt a charge in the air without even hearing the door open up. I looked up.

Edward.

I stood from seat, but I did not curtsy. He stood across the room and made his way over to me, but he did not kneel. Equal ground. It was just as I had requested. I met him in the middle and slid my arms around him.

We both angled our heads and our lips met in a fiery kiss. We matched each other passion for passion and desire for desire. Tonight we would meet in the middle. Tonight was for us and us alone. Tomorrow we would worry about everyone else.

**A/N 2: So yeah, next chapter includes: a lemon, EPOV, and some more drama. Review please!**


	16. Chapter 14

**A/N: Okay here's your lemon as promised. Hopefully it lived up to your standards. It was my first one to write so yeah. I hope you enjoy! I have noted where it started and ended and if you wish you can skip it.**

Chapter 14: A Night to Remember

EPOV

I was sitting in my father's office with Jasper and Emmett as we discussed the bombing that had taken place at the Italian embassy. We were discussing strategy on how to get the evidence to prove that Volturi was behind this, even from behind bars. The man was ruthless. He had made many attempts over the years and always failed, but he refused to give up. We had been at if for about an hour when my father and Emmett began to talk about his kids. I tuned them out thinking about the long and tedious dinner party I was to appear at tonight. The Count and Countess Brigston were hosting it, and I had no doubt that the Countess would seat me next to her vapid daughter in hopes of forming a match. It never failed; the woman was like a viper. I was musing on ways to duck out of the dinner early when the door flew open and Isabella flew into the room. Her eyes were wild and she shaking like a leaf. Rose and Alice came in behind her slightly more composed.

"You need to release Aro Volturi with in seventy-two hours," she announced before she fell onto a couch shaking horribly. I rose and poured her a stiff three fingers of brandy.

"Isabella, is that advice or a threat?" Carlisle asked me.

"Neither, Papa. Bella received a phone call at the AHC offices with that demand. She is simply afraid and did not mean it to come out that way. You know better than that," Rose said to him.

"Ah, sorry, ma petite. I was wondering how you even knew that name. It is not one I speak of around here. You are in luck that we were in a meeting about the bombing at the embassy. We are all here, now tell me what was said, s'il vous plait?"

Isabella was shaking so badly she could barely talk. I pressed the glass into her hands and forced her to take a drink. She looked up at me gratefully and then finished it off quickly.

"I was talking to Alice and Rose about the shoot for the magazine. We were discussing the location and I got a phone call. When I answered the man informed me that as a friend of the royal family I should pass on a warning to you. He said that if this Aro Volturi was not released with in seventy-two hours a member of the royal family would die. I informed him that none of us would bend to threats, but, Your Highness, one of you could die. I'm very worried," she said when she had calmed enough to speak.

"Bells, what did the voice sound like? Male or Female, young or old?" Emmett asked me.

"I'm not sure. It was very flat, almost mechanical. I couldn't tell the sex. I'm so sorry," she said looking at me. "Can someone tell who the hell this man is and why he wants to kill my family?"

"Everyone should have a seat. This is a long story. It may take a while to tell. Make yourselves comfortable," Carlisle instructed.

We all settled in to listen to Carlisle's story.

"About fifteen years ago, a group from Italy decided that my family was too powerful and set about to destroy us. This family wanted us out of the way so that they could take over our port. This family was into every piece of the pie: drugs, guns, human trafficking, you name they have done it. We spent ten years six years getting an operative into their family. The operative tried foil a shipment of guns and was sent back to us in pieces. This family is highly dangerous. They are the rulers of Volterra, another principality that is located in the heart of Italy. Two years after our operative was killed we managed to capture Aro Volturi. He was the leader at the time. He had taken over for Caius Volturi, his father. We thought that with Aro behind bars we could rest easy. Three years ago, someone tried to kidnap Rose. We managed to prevent it. Things have been quiet for the last three years, but now it appears it is starting up again and there has already been a casualty. My assistant, Marcus. The bomb at the Embassy in Italy was most certainly planted by one of Volturi's minions. I will double security and no one is allowed to go out with out a body guard. Rose, you and Em will need to move in here for now. Anytime one of you leaves you will have to make sure that the bodyguard is with you. I'm so sorry you girls got dragged into this mess," Carlisle said.

"I'm not. I'm glad we are here with you. You are all my family and I care about you very much. Now, Alice and I need go meet with the fantastic four we hired to help us out with our story. Thank you so much for being honest with me Carlisle. I will be safe as long as I have your permission to worry about you guys," Isabella said.

"Permission granted ma petite. Be safe and take Felix with you. He is the best trained at the moment," Carlisle said.

Alice and Bella left the office, and my father turned to us.

"We must all be doubly cautious now. I refuse to have any of you in danger," my father said.

"Papa, we must send them home. We cannot allow them to stay here. Not if their lives are at stake. I won't lose her," I said to him.

"I agree with Edward," Jasper said, "I don't Ali hurt in any way."

"We can't send them home, Edward. Bells would never go for it, and she'd castrate me for even bringing it up. I like having everything where it is on my body. She's strong. She can handle this. We'll tap the phones at the Center and keep a bodyguard with her at all times. She'll be fine. So will Ali," Emmett said.

"I agree with Emmett. Bella is not a weak little girl. She is a strong woman. She is also stubborn and she will not leave because of this jerk. She may be worried, but she will fight to protect this family. You heard her. She cares for _all_ of us," Rose said.

I hung my head in defeat and left to get ready for the tediousness of the night. As I had suspected, the Countess sat me next to her appalling daughter and I was forced to make polite conversation. Shortly after dinner I made my excuses claiming I wasn't feeling well and left. When I arrived home I headed to my room. I showered and then paced for a while. I kept thinking about Isabella.

She consumed every thought in my head. I longed to have her far away from here where she would be safe. I knew she wouldn't agree to it, and it was a foolish desire. I just couldn't help it. Every fiber of my being cried for me to protect her. As long as she lived, I would live. If she was lost then I'd cease to be. After pacing for the better part of an hour, I headed to the music room. I played for two hours straight and still I couldn't banish the thoughts of her from my mind.

I walked down to her suite. I didn't knock such was my arrogance. She looked up but didn't rise to curtsy such was her pride. Equal ground was what she wanted and that was what I would give her, even if it was only for this one night.

She met me in the middle and slid her arms around me.

We both angled our heads and our lips met in a fiery kiss. We matched each other passion for passion and desire for desire. Tonight we would meet in the middle. Tonight was for us and us alone. Tomorrow we would worry about everyone else.

-----------Lemon starts now--------

We continued to kiss feverishly until we need to break away to breathe. I refused to move my lips from her skin and kissed a trail of hot open mouthed kisses over neck. She was dressed in a thin scrap of silk in a fiery red color and it made me even harder for her. I kissed back up to her ear and nipped lightly at her ear lobe.

"Tell me what you want Isabella. Tell me and I shall let you have it," I whispered in her ear.

She pressed her lips to mine again as she murmured, "You, Edward. I want all of you. I want you touch me, fill me, make love to me. Now, right now, right here."

I groaned and slid my hands up her hips to cup her breasts through the material. They filled my hands and made me ache to touch more, take more. I swept her into my arms and carried her bridal style to the bed. I laid her gently in the middle of bed and climbed on to hover above her with my weight on my elbows. I kissed her sweet lips again and the drug a trail down to her thin shoulder straps with my tongue. She tasted divine and I couldn't enough of it. Her breathing hitched as I grasped one strap in my teeth and slid it off of her shoulder. I then kissed a trail to the other shoulder and repeated the action there. I rose onto my knees and tugged the thin material off all the way. I paused to just look at her. She was in a pair of tiny matching underwear and her creamy white skin glowed in the moonlight filtering into the room. I must have stared for quite a long time because she started to blush and tried to cover herself.

I grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head while saying, "Never hide yourself from me Isabella. You are simply exquisite. The most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my life."

I crushed my lips back to hers and released her wrists. I kissed down her neck and in between her breasts, before sliding over to tease at her nipples. I pulled her left one into my mouth sucking on it gently while massaging the right. I nipped at it before repeating the same action on her right breast. I then kissed my way down her flat stomach and darted my tongue into her belly button before continuing down. She writhing underneath me and panting heavily. I bypassed her center and kissed each of her thighs. I made a circuit before coming up to press an open mouthed kiss on her clothed heat. She whimpered and I smile.

"Is this what you want, Isabella?" I asked as I ran my flattened tongue over her covered slit.

"Fuck, yes, Edward! Please…"

I hooked my thumbs in the waistband of her little underwear and pulled them slowly down her legs before returning to her. I ran my tongue in one long lick up her wet core before flicking at the little bundle of nerves. She tasted even better than I had imagined she would. One of her hands fisted in my hair and she tugged causing my eyes to roll back in my head in pleasure. Her sounds of ecstasy spurred me on and I gently inserted one finger into her while still flicking at her clit with my tongue. She bucked her hips up to me and gripped my hair tighter. Taking this as a sign of encouragement I slid another finger into her and pumped while playing with her clit.

"Oh, oh, oh, Edward I'm going to, OH MY GOD!"

"That's it, love, cum for me. Let go. I want to hear you scream my name."

"EDDDWWWAARRDD!" she cried while she clamped down on my fingers. I continued my ministrations until she had ridden out her orgasm.

I slowly kissed my way back up to her lips. Just as I was about to deepen the kiss she pushed me away and mumbled, "You have on too many damn clothes."

She flipped us over and straddled me while she worked the buttons loose on my shirt. I sat up and wrapped my arms around her as she brought her lips back to mine. Once she had the buttons undone she pushed my shirt from my shoulders and our naked chest pressed together. Her hands slid over my chest and down my abs to my pants. She worked the button loose and lowered the zipper. She pushed me back onto the bed and started to slide my pants down my legs. I raised my hips to help her and she pulled my pants and boxer briefs off all at once. My erection sprang free and I groaned in pleasure as she wrapped one of her small hands around it. She pumped me a couple of times before leaning down to take it into her mouth. I hissed in pleasure as I felt her tongue swirl around the tip and then she pushed her head down as my hand tangled in her long mahogany locks.

"Oh, Fuck, Bella, love, I'm not going to last if you keep that up. I want to be inside when I cum, mon Coeur. Please."

She stopped and rose back onto her knees over me as she placed kisses up my neck to my lips. I flipped us over so that I was hovering above her once again and nestled myself in between her legs.

"Are you sure about this, love? Is this what you really want?"

"Edward, I have always wanted this. For the last ten years you are what I wanted. I want you. I need you. Now."

I kissed her again before slowly pushing into her. I paused for a moment to allow her to adjust and to gain some control over myself. She bucked her hips up and I leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you, Isabella."

"I love you, too, Edward."

I gently pulled out and thrust back in. I continued to thrust as I hitched her leg around my waist.

"God Bella. You're so tight. So wet. You feel so good, love. I'm not going to last long."

I slid one hand in between us and began to circle her bundle of nerves.

She clutched me tighter and began to meet me thrust for thrust.

"Edward, I'm going to cum. Please, please cum with me."

Three more thrusts and I felt her start to clamp down on me which triggered my own release. We fell off the edge together and I collapsed down on top of her. I nuzzled my head into her neck and placed a gentle kiss there.

I rolled off of her and pulled her to my chest tightly.

"That was amazing, love. You are amazing. I love you so much, Bella," I told her.

She smiled lazily at me and said, "MMM. I agree. I love you, too, Edward. I always have."

-----Lemon ends here------

I pressed a kiss to her temple as her breathing leveled out and she fell asleep. I drifted into one of the best night's sleep I had ever had with her in my arms. I awoke shortly before sunrise and kissed her temple again. I gently rose from bed and pulled my clothes back on to head back to my room and prepare for an early morning meeting. I left a note for her on her pillow to tell her I would see her that afternoon and ask if she wanted to have dinner with just me that night.

**A/N 2: So I hope you weren't disappointed next up is the photo shoot with Rose and Emmett. Also its BPOV! Press that button and let me know how the lemon turned out please!**

As I exited the room, I looked back at the sleeping angel and smiled. She was truly mine as I was hers. I only hoped that I could keep her safe. I said a silent thank you to my mother for helping to answer my prayers and entered my own room to shower and dress for the day.


	17. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews on the last chapter. I was so nervous about posting that lemon. I'm glad I did okay with it. Since you liked it so much here's another and the drama reaches new plateaus in this chapter also. Enjoy!**

Chapter 15: What a Morning!

BPOV

The next morning, I awakened to the sunlight streaming into the room. I rolled over and stretched languidly before reaching for Edward. I sat up with a frown on my face when my hand came into contact with a sheet of paper instead of Edward's glorious body. I opened the paper and my frown turned into a smile so wide my cheeks hurt.

_Isabella,_

_I am sorry you had to awaken alone this morning, mon Coeur. I, unfortunately, had a very early meeting to attend. I will be home later this evening and would like for you to have a private dinner with me in your suite. It will be set up for seven pm. Be safe today and look after my heart, I have left it with you._

_Yours,_

_Edward._

To say I was excited would be an understatement; I had spent last night making love to the man of my dreams. Now, I would be sharing a dinner with him and only him. While I was upset at waking alone, I understood he had his duties. Edward was not a man who would shirk those duties, no mater what. With everything that had gone on in the last few days, a quiet dinner with just two of us is exactly what the doctor ordered. I was still smiling when I headed to the shower to get ready for the day.

After showering, I blow dried my hair and threw it into a loose bun. I then dressed for the day in a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a fitted white button up shirt with a pair of black leather kitten heel boots. I grabbed my bag with my laptop, cell phone, and wallet and headed downstairs. I met Alice and Jasper in the dinning room and we ate breakfast chatting happily about our plans for the day.

As soon as we finished breakfast Ali and I headed out to the car to go over to the Lover's Plaza to do the photo shoot with Em and Rose. When we opened the door we were greeted with a sleek silver Mercedes. I did a double take knowing that this was not the car I had been driving the rest of the time I had been in Cordina. I quirked an eyebrow at Felix as if asking _what the hell is this?_ He smiled back at me and shrugged.

"Prince Edward has requested that you drive this during the remainder of you stay in Cordina. I must say he has excellent taste, Ms. Swan. A Mercedes Guardian is comprised of bullet and missile proof materials. They are usually used for diplomats. As a matter of fact, I believe Prince Carlisle uses it when he travels. You will most assuredly be safe in this car," Felix told me.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, "Stupid, over protective man. He can be utterly absurd sometimes, I swear."

Alice and I climbed in and arrived at the shoot location in about fifteen minutes. Rose and Em had arrived before us and were waiting by there car when we pulled in. James and Victoria arrived about five minutes after we did and we all met in the middle to discuss the game plan. We decided to pose Rose and Em sitting on the fountain. We spent about two hours shooting them in various poses. Once we were done shooting them, we headed back to the AHC Center to do the interview portion. I spent the next two hours doing a quasi-interview with my brother and sister-in-law. Once we were done for the day, Ali and I met Felix and got back into the car to head to the palace. Ali instructed me to go to her suite to get ready due to Edward setting up my suite for our dinner that night.

Alice had set out an outfit for me to put on after I showered. I spent an hour in the shower ridding myself of the grime of the day. Once I was done, I dressed in the cocktail dress Ali had chosen for me to wear. She had picked a deep sapphire blue sweetheart dress with royal blue five inch stiletto heels. She came in and fixed my hair in loose curls and applied some natural make up on me. Just as she was finishing up there was a gentle rap on the door. I opened to be greeted with an amazing sight. Edward was on the other side in a pair of black slacks and black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He smiled widely when he saw me.

"Isabella, you look simply divine. I truly love that color with your skin. Shall we?"

I blushed and took his arm. I smiled at him and said, "Thank you so much. This is too much."

We reached my room and he opened the door. I gasped at the sight I was met with. The room was alight with hundreds of candles and there vases of white and pink roses placed strategically throughout the room.

"Oh! Edward, this is amazing. You are so wonderful," I told him.

"This pales in comparison to you, mon Coeur. I simply wanted to do something as wonderful for you, as you are to me," he said.

There was soft classical music playing in the background and wine chilling next to the table. Edward led me over the table and pulled out my chair for me. I smiled at him and sat. He went around to his chair and sat down gracefully.

"I had the cook prepare this menu especially for us my Bella. There is filet mignon, vegetables, and shrimp. I also have white wine for us. I have a special surprise for desert. Let's eat, love," Edward said.

We ate and talked and drank for what felt like hours. It amazed me how truly comfortable I felt with Edward. It astounded me how drastically things had changed between us in a short amount of time. When we had finished eating, Edward stood and held out his hand. I reached up and took it just as the music playing segued in Claire de Lune.

I laughed and smiled at Edward. I said, "Well this is fitting. You know I've never danced to this song with anyone else. I usually don't dance."

He smiled down at me and said, "I don't know why you don't dance more. You dance splendidly. I've never danced with anyone else to this song either. I have always considered it to be ours, as cheesy as that sounds. I can't believe all the wasted time we have."

"I know. I've been in love with you since I first saw you. You intimidated me a bit a first, but then I figured you just didn't like me. I had no idea why. It infuriated me, but I knew once I got beneath your exterior I would find the real you," I told him.

"I never disliked you, Bella. I was petrified. The first time I saw you I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. I can't imagine my life with out you in it anymore," he said as he nuzzled my neck.

When our dance was done, he pulled me to my room for desert. I smiled when I saw the tray sitting on the bed. There was a single red rose on it along with two small crème brulees. We settled on the bed next to each other and took turns feeding one another the rich desert. When we were done I sat in front him in between his legs while he leaned against the headboard with his arms around me.

"I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I was wondering if you would consider being my girlfriend, Isabella," Edward said to me.

"You shouldn't even have to ask, Edward. I would love nothing more," I told him.

"Good. You are mine now, Isabella. I'm never going to let you go," he said.

He began placing soft kisses up and down my neck along with gentle nips. I tilted my head to give him better access and turned my head to let my lips meet his. Our kiss became even more heated and he started to rise pulling me with him. When we were standing I locked my arms behind his neck and he trailed his hands in strong long strokes up and down my sides. He reached behind me and slowly unzipped my dress. When the zipper was lowered completely the gently pulled the straps down my arms and let my dress pool at my feet. I was left in my blue lacy strapless bra and a pair of blue lacey boyshorts. My hands trembled as I unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it loose from his pants. Once it was completely unbuttoned I pushed it slowly off his shoulders. I trailed my hands down his chest and over the ridges in his defined abs to his belt. I slowly unbuckled it and pulled it out of his belt loops. Then, I unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and pushed them down to floor. He was left in a pair of silky black boxers as he lifted me into his arms and lowered me gently to the bed. He hovered over me holding his weight on his arms and kissed me deeply. My hips bucked up to meet his and we let out simultaneous moans into each other's mouths. Edward began trailing kisses down my neck and across my collarbone and my back arched off the bed in pleasure. He took the moment to unhook my bra and toss it across the room. He lavished attention on each breast in turn and began to trail his kisses down my body. He paused when he reached the waistband of my panties and sat back on his feet. He raised my left leg and started at my foot, placing kisses up to my thigh. He made the circuit back down my other leg before heading back up to my core. He trailed his nose up and down my wet center.

"God, Bella, you smell simply divine," he said before placing a hot open mouth kiss over my panties.

He hooked his thumbs in my waistband and pulled my panties down my legs slowly. Once they were off, he took one long lick with his flattened tongue and I couldn't hold back my moans any longer. I let one of my hands tangle in his soft bronze locks. He continued his assault with his tongue flicking the very tip of his tongue over my clit repeatedly as he inserted two fingers into me and began pumping.

"Unng…Edward…fuck…I'm cumming," I cried out as I felt my walls clamp on his fingers. He sat up and smiled at me as he brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked on them while humming.

He climbed back on top of me and began kissing me again. I slid my hands down and pushed his boxers down his legs as far as I could. He kicked them off the rest of the way. He positioned himself at my entrance and thrust in, in one fast hard stroke. He thrust in and out slowly and I felt myself start to come undone again.

I wanted to see him loose control for once and I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and flipped us over so that I was on top. I braced my hands on his chest and started to move up and down slowly.

"God, Bella, that feels so fucking amazing. You're so tight and wet. I'm not going to be able to hold out for much longer," he said as he gripped my hips tighter and helped me to move faster.

"Let go, Edward. I want to feel you come undone. Let your control go for once," I told him.

I plunged up and down at least five more times and cried out, "Merde! Bella, Bella, Bella!" as he released inside of me. His release triggered mine and I collapsed onto his chest as we rode our orgasms together. He wrapped his arms tighter around me and placed small kisses all over my face before nuzzling my hair.

He rolled us so that we were lying side by side with my back pressed into his chest and kissed my temple.

"Sleep, mon Coeur. I promise I shall be here when you wake in the morning. I love you, my Bella."

"Mmm. I love you, too, my Edward. G'night."

I fell into a dreamless sleep and didn't wake until the sunlight streamed in the window the next morning. We had another round before we rose to get ready for the day.

The next two days passed in a blur of days working on pulling together the first part of the series, the interview with Rose and Em, and nights spent with Edward. Soon it was Thursday and the seventy-two hours had passed. I was in my office at the AHC Center working when James and Victoria arrived. We were in the midst of looking over the contact sheets they had brought when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"A little girl, the family did not heed my warning. Now I'm afraid times call for drastic measures. They won't find the bomb in time. Perhaps they won't find you and your friends."

The color drained out of my face as the phone fell from my hand. There was a bomb in the Center. No, there was a bomb in my office.

"Out! Get Out, Right Now!" I screamed at James and Victoria. "MOVE! Quickly. There's a bomb. We have to get out of here right now."

They sprang to their feet and we all began running to the exits. Luckily we were the only one in the building that day. We were almost to the rear exit doors when we heard it.

"BOOOOMMM"

Everything exploded in a burst of orange fire and wooden debris. Then the world went black.

**A/N 2: Sorry about the cliffie, but it was quite nessecary. Also I'd like to share a review with you I found to be particularly humorus.**

well well, so prince charming finally rode something instead of his horse, lol! Great chapter, I wonder though does this mean they are now a couple, or will this only complicate things for the royal family.

**This review was courtesy of desintx, I swear I choked on my Dr. Pepper when I read that! I hope you got the answer to your question in this chapter. Keep those reviews coming. I love to hear from you and try to respond to each of them.**


	18. Chapter 16

**A/N: I know I know, I'm the devil incarnate for leaving you with that horrible cliffie last chapter. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Things are getting heated. Keep in mind as you read this chapter that Edward will be Edward. Can't fault him for that. Also remember that my Bella is a confident woman. She won't let him push her around so without further ado...Enjoy!**

Chapter 16: Stubborn Woman That I Love

EPOV

I was quickly developing a routine pattern to my days that I had never before realized I needed. I would spend countless hours during the day dreaming about Isabella and my nights were spent with her wrapped in my arms. It had only been three days since we had made it official, but I had never been happier in my life. Isabella made me feel things I had never before imagined I could. I used to listen to my father talk about how much he loved my mother and I would pray that one day I would find a love like theirs. That type of love is rare and hard to find, but somehow I had miraculously found that with Isabella. I knew in my heart she was the only woman for me, and I wanted to make her my wife. I worried, however, about all the things she'd have to give up: her career, her privacy, her independence to a point. I hated to consider taking those away from her, but I needed her even more than I need air to breathe. She was my life, without her I'd be nothing. I smiled to myself as I thought back to a conversation I had with Alice the day before. She was a little spitfire and was perfect for my much too laid back brother. We were sitting in the dinning room having breakfast when Alice brought up the subject of Isabella's name.

"So, Edward, I have a question for you. Are you so proper that you call Bella Isabella in the bedroom, too? Or do you let go and call her Bella?" she asked.

I choked on my coffee and when I finally managed to breathe again I said, "Well I call her both, Alice. I noticed no one else calls her Isabella and I always wondered why. It's such a beautiful name, just like she is."

Alice smiled and said, "Well, no one else calls her Isabella because she'd kill us. She hates to be called Isabella. She finds it too formal. I asked her why it doesn't bother her when you call her that, and she said, 'because he's Edward. I like the way he says my name. It gives me tingles.'

"Wow. That's good to know Alice. I started calling her Isabella when we first met because I didn't want to let her get to close to me. I knew even then I could fall in love with her and it terrified me. I kept calling her that, mainly in front of others, because it is her proper name. I was raised to do that. Even after she told me to call her Bella, I still called her Isabella to piss her off. It's quite humorous when she is angry, she's very…feisty. Now, I call her Isabella because it feels right to me. She's everyone's Bella, but she's _my_ Isabella. Does that make sense?" I asked her.

"Perfectly. You are the only one allowed to call her that, and she acts differently when she's with you. She's much more confident and poised than usual. That's a great thing. I'm so happy she has you," Alice told me sincerely.

I was roused out of my day dream by a knock on the door. I called out for the person to enter and in walked the head of the pediatric hospital I was trying to help. I sighed and resigned myself to beating my head against a wall with this man. He just didn't seem to understand. I rose from my desk and gestured him inside.

"Ah, Your Highness, you look well," Mr. Tracker said as he bowed.

I bowed as well and said, "You look well yourself, sir, please have a seat."

He sat and began pulling papers out of his briefcase. Once he had them all out he handed them to me and said, "Here is a copy of the financial reports you requested Your Highness. If I may be frank about it, I don't think that giving the state complete control over the hospital's funds is going to help. The only way to bring this hospital back up to par is to privatize it."

"I disagree. I believe that if we give the control to the state they will be able to allocate the funds better. The hospital needs to be updated. It needs more beds, better equipment, more staff, and more patient care. It is due to a lack of attentiveness…" I trailed off as my door burst open.

My brother came running into the room breathing heavily and looking terrified. He doubled over and placed his hands on his knees while trying to calm his breathing.

I sprang to my feet and said, "Jazz what is it? Is it father is he okay? Has there been another bombing?"

"Edward, you need to sit down. There has been another bombing, but it's not father, it's Bella. The AHC Center was bombed," he said.

I didn't wait for him to finish I bolted out of the room with him hot on my heels leaving a very flustered man sitting in my office. I reached the car first, but Jazz shoved me and said he was driving. I didn't argue. I could barely think straight let alone drive in my condition.

"What happened, Jazz? Is she okay? Oh God! Please let her be okay," I cried.

"I don't know what exactly happened, Edward. Emmett got a call from the phone tap people saying that someone had called in a bomb threat to the Center. Emmett and the bomb squad raced over there, but the bomb had gone off less than five minutes after the phone call. They were searching for Bella, James, and Victoria when he called. They should have more information when we arrive," Jazz said.

We pulled in less than five minutes later and I ran up to the building only to be blocked by Emmett.

"Edward, she's fine. They got out just in time. She fainted just as they reached the outside, but James managed to catch her and they kept going into the courtyard. We came in the front just as they were going out the back. They're shaken up pretty badly, but they all appear to be physically fine," Emmett told me.

I thanked him and ran to the courtyard and straight to Isabella. I scooped her into my arms and held her to my chest tightly while I pressed kisses to the top of her head. I started walking to the car, when she seemed to come out of a daze.

"Edward, what are you doing? I can't leave, I have to talk to the bomb squad and give them my statement," she said.

I looked down at her and shook my head, "You'll do that after I take you to Dr. Franco to look over. I want to make sure you're really alright."

She crossed her arms and glared at me, "I Do NOT need a doctor Edward, I'm healthy as a damn horse. I don't want to go to the hospital."

"Fine, I'll have him meet us back at the palace to check you out there. You will see the doctor one way or another, Isabella. Please humor me. Bella, love, I was so scared that you were injured, and I wasn't here for you. Please do this for me. Please."

"Fine. Fine. Call the damn doctor. He can poke and prod all he wants as long as it's at the palace."

I smiled at her and called Dr. Franco who promised to meet us at the palace within ten minutes. Once we reached the palace I carried her up to her room and paced the hallway while she let the doctor examine her. He came out of the room ten minutes later and smiled at me.

"She'll be fine, Edward. I have given her a mild sedative because she had a slight case of shock, but other than that she is physically fine. Make sure she eats when she wakes up and she is not allowed to do anything but relax for the next two days. Unplug the phones, hide her computer, whatever but make sure she takes it easy," he said.

I smiled gratefully at him and headed into Isabella's room. She was sleeping peacefully and I couldn't help but to smile looking at her. I was so terribly worried about her, but she was here and alive and even more beautiful than I could imagine.

"Mmm…Edward, stay. Please. Love you so much."

I turned around to look at her again thinking she had awakened but she was still in a peaceful slumber. How had I not noticed she talked in her sleep? The fact that she was dreaming about me made my heart swell to three times its normal size, and I couldn't help but to let the few tears slip down my cheeks. I wanted to her safe and I knew what I needed to do in order to do that.

I called down to the kitchen and had them send up a tray of food for her for when she woke up. The tray was delivered an hour later just as she began to stir.

She sat up and looked around the room before her eyes settled on me. She smiled at me and said, "Hello, Handsome. Thank you for being here when I woke up."

I smiled and carried the tray over to her. I set it on her lap gently and said, "You need to eat. I had the kitchen prepare some broth, a steak, and a salad for you. Dr. Franco said you need to eat and relax."

"That's fine by me. I'm starving," she said as she tucked into the food.

"Isabella, we need to talk. I want you and Alice to pack your bags and go home. It is not safe for you here at the moment. We'll cancel the series and be done with it," I told her.

She slowly put her fork down and looked up at me with fire in her eyes.

"I don't fucking think so. I'm not going anywhere and neither is Ali. We have a contract and if you try to cancel it I'll sue you."

"Isabella, I don't want you here."

"Bullshit. You arrogant, pompous jackass. You do want me here. I know this stems from some insane notion that you want to protect me, but I'm not fucking leaving. Don't try to hurt me to force me to go. I can tell you're lying. Even if I were to leave this prick could still come after Ali and I at home. I love you too much to leave you."

"Please for me, Bella. We can postpone for six months to a year. Just go home and be safe."

"Will you come with me if go?"

"I can't my duty is here. In Cordina. I would if I could."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but where you are is where I belong. So, I'm staying. Now I think I've finished my meal."

I sighed and shook my head. Stupid, stubborn woman. God how I love her. I went to sit next to her and scooped her into my lap.

"I'm sorry, Isabella. I just want to keep you safe. I don't want this asshole to hurt you. I thought I lost you today. I couldn't bear it. I can't be without you," I told her.

"I feel the same way Edward. You are my everything. Without you, I have no reason for existing. I need you, now. I need to feel you, all of you. Please," Isabella said.

I leaned down and captured her lips with mine. I gently laid her on the bed and began to undress her slowly. Once we were both naked, I placed kisses on every inch of her body I could. I slowly made my way to her core and made love to her with my tongue. I continued to suck, lick, and nip at her until she came with a shudder. Then I gently climbed back up her body and pressed a kiss to her sweet lips. I entered her slowly and set a slow and gentle pace. I was determined not to rush this. I wanted to show her how much I truly loved her. I kept thrusting slowly as she moaned my name. Finally, I felt her walls start to clamp down on me and she moaned my name loudly. I nipped at her earlobe and whispered, "Cum for me, mon Coeur. I want to feel you let go."

With a final thrust she clamped down on me tightly milking me while I kept moving helping us to both ride our orgasms. When we were done, I collapsed on top of her, murmuring how much I loved her in her ear. When I finally had my breathing under control, I rolled off of her and pulled her into my chest.

I nuzzled my nose into her hair and inhaled deeply. I made up my mind to ask her to marry me. I would talk to my father about it and then the night of the AHC Ball I would propose to her. I would make her my wife. There was no way I could live without the stubborn woman that I loved. I just prayed that she felt the same way.

**A/N2: So did I make up for the cliffie? Even just a little bit? I really like hearing your ideas on what's going on with the plot. Hell I like hearing anything you have to say. So keep em coming. I will tell you one or two of you managed to guess a bit, but I won't tell you who you are or what you got right. Just know that the end is gonna be BIG!**


	19. Chapter 17

**A/N: OMG. I am so sorry for not updating yesterday! I was exhausted after I got home from work. I just started a new job and had to do this painfully long orientation yesterday. By the time I was through with dinner with and giving the kids baths I had just enough time to check my e-mail and fall into bed. Updates will probably be every other day now. If I can manage more I will. The story is heating up and there is some important stuff in this chapter so read on!**

Chapter 17: The Unknown

**?POV**

My job was coming along quite nicely. I had the perfect cover. No one would expect me to be a trained assassin. I was here to help my father. This family, these _Masens_, had caused so much trouble. It was completely laughable. My father was one of the best at what he does. I had never seen anyone better, except for maybe myself. That's not ego, that's truth. He and his friends had trained me well. Aro wasn't really my father; my family had been killed by his when I was a baby and he took me in and raised me. When I turned twelve he started grooming me. By the time I was eighteen I was the best agent he would ever have. How these imbeciles managed to catch him is beyond me; it must have been pure dumb luck. I had to follow his rules for this, but I was having so much fun! First, having my 'lover' call that idiotic American girl the Prince was so infatuated with. Then, actually getting to blow up her office! That was some show. I just wish I hadn't had to miss it. It's too bad she didn't need me that day. I wish Father had just let me kill her, but that time will come. I will manage to kill them all. It's only a matter of time. After I finish off the Masen family, save for Prince Carlisle, I'll have to off my 'lover' too. Such a shame because he is such a good little boy. Alas, I knew it wouldn't last. I'll just bide my time and smile in their faces, even as I burn with vengeance inside.

**BPOV**

I can't believe that idiot thought I would let him push me away. I had waited too long and worked way too hard for him to do that. Now that I had him, I sure as hell wasn't letting him go. When and if he proposed, I'd accept. I passed the message on to Ali that she could spill the beans about my birthday as long she and Rose promised to keep it to only people I knew. I figured that if I was going to marry a prince I may as well let go of my aversion to gifts and the like. I called Emmett to see if he wanted to join me for lunch at a little bistro that we had eaten at my first time in Cordina, and he said he would see me at noon. He needed to get out of the house while Ali and Rose were planning the big birthday surprise for me. I agreed and headed out with Felix in tow to meet him.

I arrived at the bistro at about ten minutes to noon and headed inside to get one of the outside tables. It was entirely too nice to sit inside on a day like this. Emmett showed up just as the hostess was getting ready to seat me and we followed her outside. I had missed my big brother fiercely and was thankful for the time I'd get to spend alone with him today. I wanted to talk to him about the situation with Edward. I knew he would listen and not judge me for staying when he heard why. Once we were settled and had ordered our food and drinks I started the conversation.

"Em, I want to talk to you about something important," I said.

He grinned at me and said, "Shoot, baby sister. I'm all ears."

I took a deep breath and said, "I'minlovewithEdward!"

"A little slower there, Bells. I don't think I caught that," he told me with a shit eating grin.

"I'm. In. love. With. Edward," I said punctuating each word.

"Well it's about damn time you admit it to me. I was wondering if you ever would. I know you told Alice and Jazz before me. I must say I was about ready to call you out on it," he said laughing.

I looked at him shocked and said, "You knew? How the hell did you know? I thought I managed to keep it pretty well hidden, well until I decided to pursue him anyways."

"Bells, I'm your brother. I know you and I saw how you look at him. It's the same way I look at my Rosie. I know he's in love with you too. I'm happy for you both. You both deserve to be happy, sweetheart. Now that that's said. How hard did he try to convince you go home?" Em asked me.

"Well he tried the please, for me. When that didn't work he tried to push me away. I told him no uncertain terms that I was not fucking going home and he could suck it up and deal with it. I'm in this for the long haul. Wherever he is, is where I'm going to be. I couldn't bear to be away from him with everything that's going on. I'm terrified, but not for myself. I'm worried for him. I could lose him. This madman is trying to take away my family. I will not run away from them when they need me most," I told him.

He sighed and said, "Bella, I know you won't. I'm not even going to try to convince you that you should. You and I are too much alike for me to think you could ever do that. You wouldn't be the woman that Edward loves or the sister I know if you did that. I agree you may be safer, but it wouldn't matter. I'm proud of you, sis."

"Thanks, Em. Now I have a favor to ask you. When Edward and I get married, will you walk me down the aisle? He hasn't proposed, but he will. I swear that."

"I'd be honored, Bells. I know dad would have loved it, but I'll be happy to stand in for him."

I smiled grateful for my brother and we chatted about mundane things as we finished our food. I had wrestled with myself, unable to decide if I would have Carlisle or Em do the honors of walking me down the aisle and in the end I had decided on my brother. My parents had died three years ago in a car accident. They were driving home after some society dinner and a drunk driver hit them head on. Both had been drinking and none were wearing their seatbelts. I missed them, but we had never been terribly close. Once I was old enough they shipped me off to boarding schools and they hit all the big society crap they could. We weren't rich by most people's standards, but we weren't poor either. We were better off than middle class and my parents strived to make it seem we were as upper crust as a celebrity. I was laughable now, but back then it pissed me off. At the time of their deaths we hadn't spoken in months. I was pulled out of my revere when I spotted a stunning strawberry blonde and a little blonde walking up to the bistro.

"Tanya, Katy!" I called.

They both turned to me and smiled. They walked up to us and we chatted for a few minutes while Em was settling the bill. I noticed Katy barely spoke and kept to herself a lot. She reminded me of a teenage version of myself before I had met Rose. She had been the same way at the photo shoot with Rose and Em. She hung to the back and almost seemed to blend into the surroundings. I noticed her face was starting to red and when I looked around to see what could be making her blush that way I spotted my brother walking back towards us. I reintroduced him to both the women and him and Tanya exchanged boisterous hellos while Katy said a shy, quiet hello. A few minutes later they took their leave and Em and I headed back to the palace. Felix and the guard who was Em, I think his name was Carlo, followed behind us. Em and I rode in one car while our guards were in the one in front and behind us.

I went to see Alice in the ballroom when I got back to find out what she was planning for my party. When I reached the ballroom, I found Alice, Rose, Edward, Jasper, and even Carlisle having a hushed debate about something. They all shut up when I walked into the room. Edward walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. He tipped my face up and gave me a lingering kiss.

I smiled at him and said, "Well, hello to you too handsome. What was that for?"

He gave me that beautiful crooked smile of his and said, "I missed you, Isabella. I simply wanted to greet you properly when you came home. Is that a crime now, mon Coeur?"

It thrilled me when he said home, but I didn't say anything about it. I simply smiled and said, "Of course it's not crime. I missed you too. What are you guys up to?"

Carlisle looked at me and smiled and said, "We were discussing the AHC Ball, Bella. Alice has decided to be in charge of decorations. I must say, she truly is a little spitfire. I don't know how you guys handle her 24/7."

"Oh it's a lot of work, but I wouldn't have it any other way. She's the energy behind me," I told him while I laughed.

Carlisle smiled and excused himself as did Edward. Once all the men were gone to tend to their business, Rose and Alice turned to me with identical smiles on their faces. I mentally cringed because I knew those looks.

"Tomorrow we are going…SHOPPING!" Alice cried.

I shook my head and acquiesced. It was no use arguing. I had already decided to get used to this lifestyle and this was part of it. The things I was willing to do for Edward astounded even me.

Rose looked at me and said, "What no arguments, no snark? Who are you and what the hell have you done with my Bella?"

I rolled my eyes at her and said, "Well, I figure if I can ever get your brother to propose, I'm gonna have to get used to this mess. So why not start now?"

They both squealed and Rose said, "Alright so we're flying to Milan first thing tomorrow to meet with my dress designer. She would normally come here but she is stuck there for a few more weeks so we're going to her. We need to get two dresses. One for the AHC Ball and one for your birthday. The one for your birthday will be simple so don't freak. The Ball gowns will have to be a bit more extravagant, but I'm sure they'll be fabulous."

After dinner that night I was in my room quietly reading a book when Edward arrived. I smiled at him and stood to greet him. We cuddled into each others arms and talked about nothing and everything for a couple of hours before we both drifted off to sleep. I was roused at about 5:00 am by Edward getting out of bed to dress.

"Edward, will you stay for a little while longer please?" I asked him.

"I'm sorry, love, but the servants will be up soon. I should go," he told me.

I was fighting back tears at this point. I looked at him and asked, "Are you ashamed of me? Is that why you come so late and leave so early? You kiss me soundly in front of your family and friends, but still worry that the servants will talk. What the hell kind of message does that send."

"Isabella! I am not ashamed of you. I'm simply trying to be discreet. I don't want your name drug through the mills because of us. Can you understand that?" He asked me.

"No, Edward, I really can't. I'm tired of being discreet. I love you damn it. Who cares what the press says? I'm the press and I don't give two shits about what they think of me. I want all of you or nothing at all."

His fists were clenching and unclenching and he was gritting his teeth. He came back to the bed and said, "Okay. If you are sure you don't mind the insinuations then well do it your way. I only wanted to protect you."

"I'm sure about you. The rest I can handle. I'm not fragile Edward. I appreciate your concern, but I'm not willing to keep this only to the nighttime."

His lips crashed into mine then and his hands were suddenly all over me. It wasn't gentle like normal, and I relished in it. He pulled back suddenly and said, "Isabella, you will do what I say. I want you to be still and do not move. You will not make a sound or a movement until I say so, is that clear?"

I swallowed hard as I felt myself getting wetter and nodded my head. He smiled and stood.

"Good, now I am going to show you just how much I truly love you."

He started at my feet kissing up both legs and bypassing my core. He pulled my panties down with his teeth and then threw them across the room before liking from my slit with a flattened tongue. My hips bucked and he growled.

"What did I tell? Don't do that again."

I simply nodded and he began to inch my nightgown up my body. Once he had it off, he leaned in and shoved his tongue in my mouth. The kiss grew more heated and by the time he broke away we were both gasping for breath. He kissed his way down my body to my breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth and sucked hard while he pinched and rolled the other with his hand. He nipped at it before switching sides. Once he had treated my other breast to the same attention he made his way down my body to my heated core again.

"Merde, love. You are already so wet and I haven't even begun to pleasure you," he said before he leaned in to kiss my clit. He plunged two fingers into me and began to pump while he was sucking hard on my clit. He lifted his head for a moment and said, "Now, Bella. Cum right now."

With a scream I fell over the edge and exploded. It was the hardest I had ever cum. He kissed his way back up my body to my lips. After a hard kiss he pulled back and undressed. He levered himself back over me and plunged into me roughly. I gasped and he wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. He continued to pump in and out of me at rapid speed. In no time I felt the familiar tightening in my belly and knew I was close. Apparently Edward was as well because he said, "Cum with me love. Now!"

We fell off the edge together and we lay entangled as we tried to get our breath back. I smiled at him and he leaned into kiss me sweetly.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel that I was ashamed of you love. You are so very important to me. We'll need to talk very soon. There is something important I want to speak with you about. I think we should do it after your birthday. You have mine and Jasper's shoot followed by Carlisle's so you'll busy for awhile. I really need to go now. I have a meeting in two hours. I love you, Bella," Edward said.

"I love you too. I'll see you tonight, Edward. I'll miss you," I told him.

"I'll miss you too, mon Coeur. Have fun with Rose and Alice. Try not to kill them. I'll see you when you get _home_. I'll be waiting for you," Edward said before he left the room.

I hadn't missed the emphasis he placed on the word home and I headed to shower with a goofy grin plastered to my face. Once I was showered and dressed in Alice Approved clothes I headed down to the kitchen to face the firing squad and get ready to go get fitted for dresses.

**A/N2: So I gave you a lemon to make up for the no update yesterday. I hope you enjoyed. I propose a little contest: I want you all to take a guess at my mystery POV and tell me who you think it is. If you are right, when this story ends, I will send you a preview of my SEQUEL! Yep I'm gonna do a sequel. So take a guess at the mystery POV and you may be lucky enough to win a preview. I won't announce who is right until the end of the story just to keep it quiet, but it won't be much longer. We have Bella's birthday, two photo shoots, the AHC Ball, and a big surprise to get through and then its done. So hit that button and give me some love and some guesses!**


	20. Chapter 18

**A/N: Okay guys this is mostly a filler chapter but it has some important info. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days, but work is killing me! I hope you enjoy this. The next chapter will be Bella's birtday and I assure you, you will be blown away. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18: Father-Son Moments

EPOV

Now that I had made the decision to ask Isabella for her hand in marriage, I had two things I needed to do immediately. The first was to speak to my father about it. The second was to ask Emmett for his permission. Since Isabella's parents had died Emmett would likely be the one to give her away, so I knew that to do it right I needed to obtain his permission. I couldn't decide which person to speak to first, my father or Emmett. Isabella made it easy for me as she asked Emmett to accompany her to breakfast. Once I knew for sure that she was out of the palace I made my to my father's office. I stood outside the door and took a few deep breaths. I knew he would be happy, he loved Isabella like a daughter and would be ecstatic at welcoming her to the family, but I was still nervous. I would be taking so much from her and giving her so little in return. I squared my shoulders and knocked on the door.

"Entrez!" my father called out.

"Bonjour, Papa. I would like to speak to you about something very important. Do you have the time?" I asked him.

"I have a bit of time. Sit down, son, and tell me what has you so worked up and tense. I hope it's not what happened to Bella. She is fine. She is strong. She will live," he told me.

"Non, Papa, n'est pas. This is something good. At least I think it is. I'm in love with Isabella, and I have decided to ask her to be my wife," I said to him.

"Merde! It's about time, Edward! I was beginning to wonder if you would ever man up and do it, as Emmett says," he said to me.

"Merci, Papa," I said sarcastically. "I'm absolutely petrified that she will not accept. She does not like attention or to have someone make a fuss over her. As my wife she would have no choice. She would be giving up so much. It almost feels like it's too much to ask from her."

"Son, look at me. If she loves you she will deal with the burden well. Most American's like your Beau-frere and your Bella don't wish to deal with the pomp and circumstance. For us it's a must. If she truly is meant to be yours, she'll wear her crown with poise and grace and love. You must know she loves you. I see the way you two look at each other. I couldn't be happier. I have something for you. I'm glad to do so, but sad that it is indeed mine to give to you," my father said as he rose and went to his safe. "This ring was your mother's. I know she would want Bella to have it. She would have loved her. When are you planning to propose?"

I clutched the ring box tightly in my hand and said, "After the AHC Ball. I want to plan a romantic dinner for her and I to enjoy and then I will propose then. Thank you so much for this Papa. It means everything to me. It will be perfect for her."

"You're welcome my son. I shall see you in the ballroom in an hour. Apparently Alice and Rose need desperately to speak with us about something," he told me shaking his head with a smile.

I left the room and headed downstairs to the dinning room. I quickly ate breakfast and then decided to walk in the gardens. I smiled to myself as I remembered seeing Isabella in these very gardens not so long ago. I could hardly believe someone so perfect belonged to me. In a few months I'd make that official. She could write from here I supposed and she would never be bored. I couldn't wait to make her Isabella de Cordina. Isabella Masen. God, how I loved that. I looked at my watch and noticed it was time to meet in the ballroom. I wondered what was so important that it required my father and I both.

I entered the ballroom and looked at the faces of Rose and Alice. They were both beaming and chattering excitedly. My father and Jasper both entered at the same time and the girls turned to tell us what was going on. Apparently, Isabella's birthday was the day after the interview with Jazz and I. Rose and Alice wanted to do something special for her, but needed help planning. Alice wanted to throw a grand ball, while Rose wanted to take her somewhere special that she hadn't been before. In the end, Jasper and Carlisle chose what to do. Jazz said she had always wanted to see Paris, and Carlisle offered up our private jet and our apartment in Paris to stay in for a week. I smiled thinking of amending my plans. I told them all to hold on for just a moment.

"Papa," I said, "I've changed my mind. I will be asking her while we are in Paris."

"Oh that's perfect! Edward, she will love that. You must do it at the Eiffel Tower. I'll make reservations for you all. I'll make sure it's private as well," my father said.

Rose, Jasper and Alice were looking at us like we were crazy, and my father and I were simply smiling at each other.

Finally, Alice, unable to take the silence anymore screamed, "Will someone tell me what the hell he is talking about so that I can plan this properly? I need to know what to pack as far as wardrobe here people!"

"I'm asking Isabella to marry me," I said quietly.

The news was met with two girly squeals and the sound of Jazz's jaw hitting the floor. We were whispering quietly about the plans for the weekend when Isabella and Emmett came in. I shot the girls a look and they knew they needed to get Isabella out of the room. My father and I excused ourselves while Rose whispered to Emmett to meet me in my office.

Ten minutes later he came inside. I told him what I planned and he squealed like Rose and Alice had. He gave his permission and said I had better treat her right or he'd kick my ass and bury me on the grounds, heir be damned. I assured him that I would and told him of my plans.

Alice and Rose took Isabella shopping the next day for a ball gown and clothes for Paris. We had all agreed to keep the party a secret from Isabella until we arrived in Paris. I knew she would love it and I couldn't wait to propose. The week was busy for all of us. We were working diligently on the bombing, and Isabella and Alice were busy with their articles. The Wednesday before we were scheduled to fly out to Paris was the interview with me and Jasper. We had agreed to do the shoot in the gardens so that if something happened we would be close to home.

The morning of the shoot we invited everyone involved over to have breakfast. At promptly 8:30 am James, Victoria, Katy, and Tanya all arrived. James and Victoria both admitted to wanting to shoot pictures of the palace and I agreed to allow them to do so as long as they stuck to the accessible areas: no bedrooms or offices. They agreed and I promised them a tour after our shoot. Tanya, well, she scared the hell out of me. She looked at me like she wanted to eat me. I shuddered thinking about the plastic looking woman. Her assistant Katy was super sweet and incredibly shy. She reminded me a great deal of Bella. Jasper realized how easily she blushed and took great pride in making her do so as often as possible. He flirted with her continuously during breakfast and it was quite amusing. I asked Alice if it bothered her and she laughed and said no. She told me that he could flirt all he wanted, she knew he was sleeping with at night. She told me that a tiger can't change his stripes, and Jazz couldn't help but to flirt. It was in his make up. After breakfast Tanya and Katy ushered my brother and I into a small sitting room to prep us for the pictures. Tanya did the make up while Katy chose our wardrobes. Mine was a pair of black slacks with a white button up shirt. She instructed me to leave the shirt unbuttoned and untucked blushing all the while. Jazz was dressed similar to me in a pair of black slacks and a black button up that was also unbuttoned and untucked. There wasn't much they could with my hair, thank god. Having that woman touch me was unbearable. Once we were dressed we headed out to the gardens for the pictures. James and Victoria spent two hours shooting us in various poses and three other outfits. Once they were done I called Felix to give them a tour as promised.

While James and Victoria took their tour, Isabella and Alice interviewed us. Alice interviewed me and Isabella interviewed Jasper. The questions ranged from the mundane to the outrageous. My favorite was the boxer or brief question. I smiled slyly at Alice and told her to ask my girlfriend. She grinned and told me the readers would love that. Once we were done it was almost dinner time so we invited everyone to stay and eat with us. After dinner Isabella and I headed back upstairs to bed. We cuddled and talked for a bit before drifting off in each others arms. I loved making love to her, but these nights were my favorite; just _being_ with her made me feel complete. The rest of the week flew by and before I knew it we were getting ready to head to the airport to leave for Isabella's surprise trip.

**A/N2: I hope you liked it. Like I said, mostly filler stuff, but important nonetheless. Onto Paris! I need some ideas. What would you like to see them do there? I have a couple of concrete ideas, but they are gonna be there for a week. Yes there will be a couple of Lemons and a proposal... I orginally wanted to wait for the AHC Ball, but when Jasper brought up Paris, Edward got antsy. So yeah, it'll be nice to have it outta the way before the drama hits the fan, which will happen shortly after their return from Paris. Until next time, keep those reviews coming. They give inspirations!**


	21. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in posting this, but I've had a bit of writer's block this chapter. I kept rewriting and still didn't get it exactly how I wanted it. I hope you enjoy but I'll admit it's not the best work. The next few chapters will definately make up for that though I promise. **

Chapter 19: Birthday Surprises & Eiffel Tower Proposals

BPOV

The week leading up to my birthday seemed to fly by. Edward was great, but he seemed slightly preoccupied. I assumed it had something to do with the whole Aro Volturi business going on. To my surprise and elation he had not brought up me returning to New York again. I knew that I would eventually have to return to New York, but I hoped that would be only a short trip as I gathered my belongings and moved to Cordina. Now that I finally had Edward, I had no intentions of giving him up. I had never really dreamed of falling in love with a Prince Charming of my very own, I guess because of my parent's relationship, but now I could see that it really was possible.

The day of the interview with Edward and Jasper was great. Alice and I had decided to interview each other's significant other, she and Jasper had made it official shortly after our return from dress shopping in Milan. I was ecstatic for her and I hoped that eventually he would propose as well, and we could all live in Cordina as one big happy family. The interview with Jasper was hilarious. The man had no idea how to be serious. He was charming, witty, and undeniably flirty, as was his norm. They didn't call him the "Playboy Prince" for nothing. I was in the middle of interviewing him when Katy, Tanya's assistant tripped right into Jasper's lap. She blushed ten shades of red, brighter than I ever had and stuttered out an apology to him. Jasper laughed and told her it was quite all right because, 'I'm used to having beautiful blushing woman falling in my lap all the time.' I laughed and nodded my agreement with that because I had done it myself so much. Jasper answered all my questions honestly and with his own hint of pride in them. The next day Alice whisked me away to Rose and Em's house where our dresses for my birthday had been delivered. We tried them on and to my delight I felt like royalty in mine. It was black with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. It was floor length with a slit up to my hip on the right side and was absolutely stunning. Rose had gotten a bright red dress similar to mine and Ali had gotten a bright purple one that went down to just below her knees and billowed out like a cloud. We changed back into our clothes and ate lunch while I tried to pry the location of our destination from them. They refused and a couple of hours later Ali and I headed back to the palace to get some sleep.

The morning we were heading out to go on our trip dawned bright and clear. It was stunning outside. We all ate and chatted amicably before departing for the airport. Carlisle had lent us their private plane to take us to where we were going and for that I was grateful. I wanted to be completely alone with my family. The flight was interesting. I had never seen Edward so relaxed, and I reveled in it. We played silly card games that I hadn't played in years like slap jack, go fish, and battle. It was fun and juvenile and I loved every minute of it. A few hours later the pilot announced we would be at our destination in about ten minutes. Everyone, including the pilot, had been very careful to not mention where we were going. When we landed Alice and Rose grabbed me while I felt someone behind me and suddenly everything was black. Those jerks had blindfolded me.

"It'll be okay, mon Coeur. I promise. You'll love this so just relax okay, s'il vous plait?" Edward whispered in my ear.

His voice gave me chills and I swallowed hard and nodded. I let him lead me off the plane and took in the sounds and smells around me. I heard nothing. The air smelled so nice though, like fresh baked bread and I inhaled deeply. I let them lead me through the airport and into a cab. The driver spoke French, but that wasn't unusual since it was the native language for Cordina. Once the cab stopped I let them lead me inside and to an elevator. The elevator dinged in no time and they led me into our room. Once we were inside they pulled the blindfold off and my mouth dropped open. The room was gorgeous. It appeared to be a penthouse suit.

"Wow, guys this hotel is fantastic. It's stunning, but where the hell are we?" I asked.

Everyone burst into giggles and Edward smiled, leading me to the window, "Look outside, Isabella, and tell me where we are."

I looked out the window and was met with the most stunning sight: The Paris skyline. I shrieked and jumped at Edward. I peppered his face with kisses and said thank you repeatedly.

"Oh, Edward, thank you so much! I can't believe you guys brought me to Paris. I have always wanted to come here! Je t'aime, mon Edward, Je t'aime!" I exclaimed.

He chuckled and said, "Je t'aime, aussi, ma Isabella. But I'm not the one who came up with the idea that was all Jazz. He told me you had always wanted to come here. This place isn't a hotel either, mon Coeur. This is our apartment. Or rather Papa's apartment. He lent it to us for the week. I'm glad you like it so much."

Was the man insane? I was in the City of Love with the love of my life and my family of course I loved it. We sat and discussed what we wanted to do while in Paris: dinner at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the L'arc de Triumphe, the Seine River, and shopping. Edward informed us that the night before we returned to Cordina we had a reservation to eat at the Eiffel Tower. We decided to stay in that night and order some pizza, keep it simple for our first night. The boys all decided to head down to find a store to get some liquor at and we girls waited for the pizza.

Rose, Alice, and I devised a plan to get the boys to let go for the night and see what we could get them to do. Twenty minutes after the men left, the pizza arrived. I opened the door and was greeted with the smirking face of the pimply pizza boy. His forced smile brightened as he took in the three of us and he grabbed my hand and kissed it. I was fighting laughter as he smiled at me.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle. Tu es tres jolie. Je suis Eric," he said.

I rolled my eyes at Rose and Alice and said, "I'm sorry I don't speak French. How much for the pizza?"

His face fell as he realized I wasn't interested and he handed over the pizzas and left with his tail between his legs. We all cracked up at his attempt to flirt and waited for the guys to return. Ten minutes later they came in with Tequila, beer, and wine. It was time for the fun to begin.

"I've never kissed more than one person in this room," Emmett declared.

Rose and I looked at each other and smiled as we slammed our shots back. Emmett and Edward growled and both asked at the same time, "Who else have you kissed?"

I smiled and said, "Well, I've kissed Edward, obviously. I've also kissed Rose and Jasper, but Jazz and I felt like we were kissing our sibling so yeah that shouldn't count."

Rose cracked up at the dumbfounded look on her husband and brother's face and she said, "You want to tell the story or should I?"

I motioned for her to go ahead and she said, "Well Bella and I went to this party with some Eclipse guys after graduation, and we were playing truth or dare, When Bella picked dare they dared her to kiss me. We kissed and about ten minutes later Emmett showed up. End of story."

Edward shook his head and pulled me closer to him. He leaned down and whispered into my ear, "If that had been any woman other than my sister I would have to fuck you right here, Isabella. That's fucking hot."

Apparently alcohol wiped out Edward's verbal filter and his ability to whisper because there were four pairs of stunned eyes on us when I looked up. Then we all cracked up laughing.

"Dude, I so don't wanna hear about you and Bells' sex life," Emmett said between chuckles, "that's wrong on so many levels."

Edward just smiled mischievously and said, "Well there is this thing she does with her tongue that makes me absolutely crazy when she's…"

"TMI, TMI, TMI," Alice screamed. "Holy hell, what happened to 'Prince Perfect'? I want him to keep you from voicing all of those nasty thoughts Edward!"

Edward just laughed and said, "This from the woman who wondered whether or not I wore boxers of briefs?"

"Neither, he goes commando most of the time now," I quipped without thinking. Now five pairs of eyes were staring at me like I had grown an extra head. "What, it's true. So much easier access for me. I like it, A LOT!"

Emmett slapped his hand over my mouth and said, "Bells, honey, please shut up. I'm about to hurl."

Alice started bouncing and declared it was time for truth or dare.

I grinned at her and Rose and they smiled back. Let the games begin. We settled for playing teams with the girls against the guys. We decided that if you didn't want to do your dare or answer your truth you could take a shot and we were hoping that the guys would shoot more than us. Whoever shot less would win the game.

Alice went first and she said, "Emmett, truth or dare?"

"Dare! I'm no pansy," Emmett exclaimed.

Alice said, "Alright, I dare you to put on one of Rosie's nighties and wear for the remainder of the game."

Emmett grumbled and caught the one she threw him. He pulled it on and we cracked up laughing while Alice snapped a picture.

Jasper went next and he picked me.

"Truth. I'll take it easy my first time around."

"Okay, Hells Bells, when was the first time you masturbated, why, and who were you fantasizing about?"

Oh shit! What the hell. I was going to kill Jasper for this.

"Umm, I was seventeen, horny and frustrated," I blushed and said. I lowered my voice to a whisper and said, "And it was Edward I was thinking about."

His head snapped up and his eyes smoldered at me with that admission. The rest of the game was hilarious. Jazz had to talk dirty to us which was hilarious, Alice had to give Emmett a lap dance and burn her favorite outfit, and Edward had to do a strip tease. That little stunt left me more hot and bothered than I cared to admit. We finally went to bed and fell asleep quickly. The rest of that week we explored Paris. It was great. The Louvre was everything I had ever dreamed it would be and the rest was breath taking. Finally it was Friday night and time to go out to eat at the Eiffel Tower.

Alice and Rose helped me get ready, and then we went to meet the guys in the living room. I smiled at Edward and he pulled me into his arms whispering, "Mon Coeur, you look breathtaking tonight. Simply stunning. Everyone is going to be envious of me."

I smiled and thanked him and we headed out. When we arrived we enjoyed the view from the elevator that took us to the restaurant at the top of the tower. We exited the elevator and approached the hostess. Her eyes widened as she took Edward in.

"We have a reservation for Masen party of six at seven thirty," Edward told her.

The hostess giggled and batted her lashes at Edward while leading us to our seats. She told us the waitress would be out momentarily and we sat back and talked while waiting. The waitress was a bleached blonde girl who wore the sluttiest dress I had ever seen. She leaned over the table when she was taking our orders and never let her eyes leave Edward. I rolled my eyes and leaned into place a kiss on his neck as she asked if there _anything_ _else at all _that she could get for us.

Edward smiled politely at her and said, "No, thank you. I believe my girlfriend can handle anything else I may need."

The waitress huffed and flounced off and we all cracked up laughing.

Dinner was amazing and before I knew it we were waiting for dessert. Edward had ordered us all chocolate soufflés and they looked divine. There was a large dollop of whipped cream on top of each and on mine there was a ring sitting proudly in the cream. I gasped and turned to Edward in time to see him drop to his knee beside me.

He took my hand in his and said, "Isabella, I love you so very much. You make me so happy and I know it's asking a lot of you, but I promise to love you forever. Every single day of forever, if you will do me the honor of becoming my wife."

I was so stunned that all I could do was nod my head while tears streamed down my face. Rose nudged me with her foot and I leapt out of my chair into Edward's arms shouting out, "Oui! Oui! Oui! Yes, oh yes, absolutely! I will marry you, Edward. I love you so much!"

He grinned and kissed me passionately. Then he cleaned the ring and slid it onto my finger. My family all gave me congratulations and hugs and then we headed back to the hotel.

Once we were there we all decided to turn in for the night so we could leave early tomorrow to return to Cordina. I was on cloud nine as Edward and I headed to our room. Once he shut and locked the door, I turned to him and kissed him. He smiled into my kiss and wrapped his arms around me. We undressed each other slowly and fell onto the bed together. His hands were moving so gently over my body that I whimpered wanting more. He kissed every inch of my skin before settling between my legs. He tortured me mercilessly with his tongue before finally bringing me to release. When he finally slid into me, it was gentle and loving. He was showing me that he worshipped me, and when we both reached climax together it was like magic. We fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms and I was positive that nothing could bring me down from my high.

I just wish I knew how wrong things were going to go when we returned to Cordina.

**A/N2: I hope you enjoyed. As I said, not my favorite chapter. Nevertheless, drama will pick up quickly starting in the next chapter! LEt me know your thoughts.**


	22. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this update took awhile, but I've been working and we're getting ready to move into a new house, so it's been super crazy here. I hope you all enjoy this. I'll appologize ahead of time because there is no lemon in this chapter and I had hoped to have one, but it just didn't work out that way. There are a lot of surprises so please read carefully!**

Chapter 20: Coming Home to Devastation

EPOV

The week we spent in Paris was magical. I had asked Isabella to be my wife and she agreed. I was floating for the whole plane ride home. Once we landed in Cordina again we turned on our cell phones and began to check our messages. Each of us had received a frantic call from Carlisle about one hour before the plane landed in Cordina. He wasn't giving us any details in the calls, but simply requesting that we call him immediately on receipt of the call because something terrible had happened. We all looked at each other stunned. Everything had been so perfect before we landed and now everything was seemingly falling apart.

I offered to call my father for everyone and let them know what was going on once we got into the limo. Once we were all seated I dialed my father's private line and waited for him to answer. It took only one ring.

"Edward! Oh thank god!" Carlisle exclaimed. "I need all of you back at the palace immediately. Something terrible has happened."

"What, Papa, what has happened? Another bombing? Did Volturi escape? Tell me what is wrong," I demanded.

"Oh, son, I wish it was only a bomb or an escape. No, Elizabeth has been kidnapped. I took the kids to the park this morning to play and as we were getting ready to leave I noticed she was missing. I called my guards over and we searched every inch of the park, but she was simply gone. How am I going to tell your sister and your beau-frere? They will never forgive me for this," my father said sadly.

"Papa, this is not your fault. Volturi must be behind it. Do not worry. We will be there shortly. We will work together to figure this out. I will handle it, I promise papa," I told him.

We said our goodbyes and I turned to my sister. I took her hands in mine and said, "Rose, I have to tell you something terrible. Papa took the children to the park today, and as they were leaving he noticed that Elizabeth was missing. He and his guards searched the entire park and could not find her anywhere. I'm so sorry, Rosie, it appears she has been kidnapped. Papa is beside himself with guilt and anger. We will be going immediately to his office upon our arrival at the palace."

Rose looked at me confused and as my words sunk in she started to sob, Emmett wrapped his arms around her and tried to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. She simply sobbed harder. Bella and Alice shoved Emmett out of the way and pulled Rose into a three way embrace. Rose had cried herself out just as we pulled up to the palace. We all exited the car and made our way to our father's office.

Once we entered, the phone rang. Rose answered it and her face immediately paled.

"What do you want from us you bastard? How could you take my child? You are going down," Rose exclaimed.

She then put it on speaker phone so we could hear everything that was said on the other line.

"We will not harm the little girl. We are giving you forty-eight hours to release Aro Volturi from your prison. As long as you comply this time your daughter will be returned to you safely. If you do not, well, you will never see precious Elizabeth again. Remember forty-eight hours," the person on the other said and then hung up.

We all sat in stunned silence listening to the droning of the dial tone. Bella was the first to break. She stood and pulled herself up ramrod straight.

"Alright, you heard the psycho, forty-eight hours. Let's talk strategy. Anyone have any ideas?" she asked.

My father looked at Bella with the same pride I felt for her at that moment. He sighed and said, "I suppose it is time to reveal our operative in this mess. We managed to sneak an operative into Volturi's midst again. We knew it was dangerous, but it had to be done. Please everyone forgive me."

He turned to look at Alice and said, "It's time to finish this. We should have finished it long ago."

Alice stepped forward and she was no longer the exuberant little pixie we all knew. Now she was a cold, hard professional. She turned to look at us and said, "I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I spent the last six years becoming established in this organization to help out the Royal Family. My father trained me to be the best. I knew that asking for help from an American agent would cause problems, so Carlisle, Emmett, and I came up with this scheme. The interviews were all a cover to get me to Cordina so that I could pretend I was playing for Volturi's side. I never wanted to hurt anyone and I truly do love all of you. I never planned to fall in love, but I truly did fall hard for Jasper. For now, we must push that aside and do what needs to be done. Kidnapping Elizabeth was never part of the plan. I can assure you of that, Rose. I never would have agreed to the Paris trip if it was. Let me do what I can to get your daughter home safely. Please, all of you, please trust me. I know what I am doing." She looked sadly at Jasper as she finished her speech.

We all stood there too shocked to say anything. Jasper looked at her and the pulled her into his arms. He kissed her head and told her to do whatever needed to be done. She nodded and pulled out a different cell phone than what she usually used. She dialed a number and said, Tanya, it's time. They kidnapped her child. We must get her back. I'll meet you in one hour."

She hung and looked at Rose, "You will have your child back before the night is over. I must leave now."

She hurried out of the room leaving a deafening silence behind.

BPOV

I was stunned. My best friend was an operative? Everything that brought me here, to Edward was a set up? My head was spinning and I felt faint. I turned to Edward and then the world went black.

I woke to muffled conversation sometime later. I slowly sat up, and Edward was immediately by my side. He looked at me with concern in his eyes and I smiled smally at him. He helped me to sit up all the way and I felt my stomach lurch. I rushed into Carlisle's bathroom and began to empty my stomach of all its contents. I splashed my face with water and walked back into the office. Rose raised her eyebrow at me and Emmett looked as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. He looked from me to Edward and back again before taking a deep breath.

"Bells, sweetie, you guys have been safe right? I hate to bring this up now, in the midst of all of this, but please just tell me you have been safe," he said quietly.

I looked at him like he was crazy and said, "Yes, Em. I always have guards around me whenever I leave, I'm never alone except at night in my room, and even then only until Edward…" I trailed off as I realized what he meant. I closed my eyes and shook my head. No, we hadn't been safe. We never once used a condom, and birth control made me ill so I couldn't take it.

I sank down onto the sofa and said, "No, Emmett. We actually weren't. Oh my god, what are we going to do. I don't know how to handle this on top of everything else."

Rose looked at me and said, "Bella, have you missed any of your periods lately? Think hard. If you have we have to call the doctor."

I heard Edward's gasp and Carlisle's sharp intake of breath as they realized what we were discussing. Before I could answer Rosalie, Carlisle picked up the phone and started dialing. I heard him speaking in French and the he said, "Merci, Dr. Franco. We will see you then," before hanging up.

He turned to me and said, "The doctor is on his way. Don't fret, ma petite. If you are indeed pregnant, it is a miracle. This child will be loved. Congratulations on your engagement by the way. I am very please, my daughter."

I turned to Edward and he was simply staring at me. I looked back and slowly a smile started to play on his face. He reached forward and placed his hand on my belly. I covered his hand with mine and he slowly looked up at me and said, "A baby. We may have made a baby. Oh, mon Coeur, I would be the happiest man alive if it is true! I love you so very much. I can't believe I may be a father!"

I felt the tears falling and wrapped my arms around him while saying, "Thank you so much. I was so afraid, but with you here I know it will all be alright. I hope Ali returns with Elizabeth soon. I must say I was shocked at her revelation, but I understand her motivations and it brought me to you. I can't really complain much."

"I agree with Bella. I was stunned to hear what she was doing, but I love her so much. I can't be angry with her when she was trying to help keep my family safe. I only hope she stays safe in the process. I don't know what I would do if I lost her," Jasper, who had been fairly quiet this whole time, said softly.

I reached my hand out to him and squeezed his. We sat like that until the doctor arrived. Once Dr. Franco arrived he ushered me out to Edward's office. I went into the bathroom and took the pregnancy test he had brought for me. I waited in Edward's office with Edward and Dr. Franco until it was time to read the results. Edward and I entered the bathroom together and both looked at the test. Edward whooped and picked me up swinging me in a small circle before beaming at me and catching my lips in a searing kiss. He thanked Dr. Franco and I promised to call him and set things up later. We made our way back to Carlisle's office and once there Edward turned to his father and said, "Papa, would you rather another granddaughter or grandson?"

Carlisle grinned and hugged us both. Then Rose and Emmett hugged each of us and Jasper stood and said, "Holy Hell! Prince Perfect is gonna be a daddy!"

We all laughed and then sat around waiting for Alice to return. She came back three hours later with Elizabeth. When we asked her how she did it, she shook her head and opened the office door.

On the other side of the door was Tanya. She entered the office and curtsied to everyone before taking a stance near Alice. They both looked at Carlisle and then Alice began speaking.

"We have a plan. It should work to flush out Volturi and his other operative. We have an idea of who it is, but cannot reveal it at this time. I am asking once again for you all to put your trust in me. I will need all of your help if we are to pull this off."

We all nodded and I said, "Ali, I need to tell you something first. This may or may not cause problems in your plan, so you need to know. Most of all, agent or not, you are my best friend and I want you to know. I'm pregnant."

Alice's mouth dropped open and then she paled. She inhaled and exhaled very deeply and said, "This will play perfectly into my plan. Please everyone, listen closely because this is what we are going to do. I want you to release Volturi. I have cleared it on my end. When he is given back his clothes and things, he will have a tracking device planted on him. We will know where he is at all times. In one week's time, we will plant small explosive that I am going to requisition from Volturi all over the east wing of the palace. We will then leak to the media that the Royal Family, save for Prince Carlisle, were killed in the blast. Of course first, we must announce that Edward and Bella were secretly married for sometime and just found out about their soon be bouncing bundle of joy. We will say they have been secretly married for almost a year now. It was necessary to hide it until Bella could officially move to Cordina. Volturi will hear about it and be very please with the idea of getting rid of another possible heir."

We all agreed and thanked Alice for what she had done. Tanya was dismissed and left to return to the hotel. Everyone else departed as couples. I was pleased to see that Alice and Jasper left together. I could tell that she was worried about how Jasper would react to the news Carlisle had given to us and I was glad that he was going to accept her. Edward and I made our way to his suite and once we entered I turned to him and said, "How do you feel about actually getting married in secret? Say tomorrow night?"

**A/N 2: Alright, well were you shocked? Sorry to all who thought that Alice was bad, but this was my plan for her all along. She will end up with Jasper, I promise. Sorry for the cliffie but it felt right to end it there. Leave me some reviews and tell me how you liked this one. Thanks to all!**


	23. Very Important AN!

**I'm still here!**

**Hey guys, sorry I hate doing author's notes like this and I know you don't like them either. This is necessary though. I wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and plan on finishing the story soon! I hit a really rough patch back in June and it just took a lot out of me. My husband and I split up and I became a single mom of two girls who has done nothing but work since. I had to move all of our stuff myself (with my family's help!) into a new house and it was six years worth of crap! Then once I was moved I had to wait to get my internet hooked back up until I had enough cash to cover the massive freaking deposit. But no worries, I'm here and I hope to have new chapter up by Sunday or Monday. I hope you stuck with me and are anxious for the next chapter because it will be a doozy!**

**Thanks,**

**Chloey**


	24. Chapter 21

**A/N: Alright darlings, here is the newest chapter! I hope you enjoy, I know you waited a long time for it. I apologize in advance for both the length and the less than stellar chapter. I'm a little rusty on it after being away for so long. Thank you so much to everyone who responed to my author note chapter with your kind words and encouragement. With everything RL has handed me lately, I simply had no inspiration. And no internet access for that matter! But I'm back and will try to tackle this at least once a week if not more. My oldest started Kindergarten this year and for some reason it seems to be harder than it was twenty years ago! They have bloody homework now! WTF? Add my work schedule, potty training the little one, and chauffeuring them back and forth to the midway point between ex-hubby and I and I am busy busy little bee. So no guarantees, but please stick with me and I swear the ending will rock your world!**

Chapter 21: Secrets Hidden in the Night

**EPOV**

I stood staring at Bella with my mouth hanging open in shock. She really wanted to be married tomorrow night? I couldn't believe my luck in finally getting together with Bella. She was everything I had ever wanted, and now we were going to be parents Volturi be damned. I smiled at her and said, "Isabella, mon Coeur, you do realize it is my job to ask, N'est pas?"

She rolled her eyes and me and replied, "Yes, Prince Perfect, I do realize that, but in light of everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours I want to do this now."

She slid her arms around my neck and pressed a kiss to my lips. I held her tightly to me and said, "Very well, mon Coeur, if you wish it to be tomorrow night then so be it. I will speak to my father first thing in the morning and we'll get it all set up."

She squealed in surprise and delight as I twirled her round and round while singing, "We're getting married! We're getting married! We're getting married."

She silenced me by placing a searing kiss on my lips and sliding her hands up and down my arms. I set her on her feet to get better positioning and wrapped my arms tightly around her. Her deft fingers came down my chest to the buttons on my shirt. She slowly flicked the first one open allowing her hands to graze my flesh as she did so. She made her way down my shirt flicking each button open slowly and grazing at my chest and abs with each stroke downward. It was torture and it was exquisite all wrapped into one. When the last button was undone she slowly slid her hands inside and around to encircle my body. She let her hands ghost up my back and then around my shoulders as she pushed the shirt from arms. She drug her fingernails down my chest to the waistband of my pants and then lower scraping them over my hardness. I couldn't contain the guttural moan that escaped my lips. She then her lips over the planes of my chest and abs following the same path that her hands had followed only moments before. She stopped her trail of kisses as she reached the waistband of my pants and flicked the button open tearing the zipper down in no time. My erection sprang free of its confines and Bella hummed in pleasure before pressing one lingering kiss to its head. Without warning she engulfed me in her hot mouth and began to suck and lick at my length while I tangled my fingers in her hair.

"Fuck, Bella, that feels so fucking good. Tu es mon Coeur, mon amour, ma vivre. Please, mon Coeur, don't stop."

She looked up at me from beneath her lashes and sucked harder while reaching back to fondle my sack. The sensation was overwhelming coupled with the happiness I felt and I groaned and cried out, "Bella! Fuck!" as I emptied myself into her mouth. She cleaned me up with her tongue and I tried to steady my racing heart and ragged breathing. I pulled her to her feet and growled into her ear, "My fucking turn."

I laid her gently on the bed and removed her clothes slowly. I went slowly trying to prolong it for myself as well as her. I kissed her lips softly and languidly letting our tongues tangle without the fevered need for dominance we usually showed. I gently kissed along her jaw line to her earlobe and pulled into my mouth before I nibbled it. I whispered in her ear that I loved her and then kissed my way down to her collarbone. I kissed all the way across them to the opposite side and then inched my way down to her breasts. I slowly traced circles around one nipple with my tongue while I rolled the other with my hand. Bella whimpered in delighted and exhaled with a loud, "Fuck!" when I sucked her nipple into my mouth hard. I switched sides and lavished the same attention on the other breast before beginning a trail down her stomach. When I reached her navel I dipped my tongue inside and enjoyed the way she arched off the bed mewling in pleasure. I smiled as I made my way lower slowly until she was pleading with me.

"Edward, please, please, Edward. Christ! Just please do something and do it soon!"

"Patience, mon Coeur," I whispered against her skin and smiled. I placed several more feather light kisses down her body until I reached her heat. I slowly drug my tongue up and down her sopping wet slit moaning at the taste of her. Without warning I growled and sucked her clit into my mouth hard while I plunged two fingers into her. She cried out and arched her hips off the bed as her fingers twined into my hair and tugged just like she knew I loved. We groaned simultaneously and I felt her walls start to clench around my fingers. Just as her orgasm started to die down I pulled my fingers and my mouth away and plunged into her.

"Holy FUCK! Edward!" she screamed as a second orgasm ripped through her. I knew I wouldn't last long so I gripped her legs and slung them up to my shoulders giving me deeper and better access to her. I thrust hard and fast into her while bringing my thumb to her clit to rub and pinch at it. Three more thrusts and Bella and I exploded together. I collapsed onto her and laid there panting in unison with her for several long minutes after that.

"Wow. Just Wow," Bella said, "That was the most intense we've ever been, Edward."

"I know, Bella. That was amazing, you are amazing. I simply cannot wait to make you my wife. Tomorrow cannot come fast enough for me," I told her before we both drifted to sleep in each other's arms.

**Aro POV**

"… and in recent news, it has been revealed that His Royal Highness Prince Edward Masen has been keeping a delightful secret from our humble country. At a press conference earlier today…"

"Turn it up," I growled to the guard sitting outside my cell watching the news on his little television. "I want to hear this big secret."

The guard rolled his eyes but turned up the volume nonetheless.

"… and Isabella Swan, noted journalist from America, have seemingly been married over the last year. The pair chose to keep it a secret from everyone including their own families until Ms. Swan could move to Cordina permanently. Earlier in the week His Highness had proposed to Ms. Swan at the Eiffel Tower restaurant in Paris. When asked why the farce we were told that it was simply a way for them to slowly let the cat out of the bag. The timing had to be pushed up when it was discovered late last night that Ms. Swan or should I say her Highness Isabella Masen was carrying Prince Edward's baby. Sorry to all of you ladies out there but it appears that the Prince is no longer on the market…"

I growled and cursed when I heard the news. The Prince could be expecting an heir now. Hmm… This should make things even more interesting. The news had come in last night that I was to be released tomorrow morning and then I would put my plan into action. Carlisle Masen would have no idea what to do with himself once my agent set the charges off. Everything he cherished would be gone in the blink of an eye and he would be left to suffer it alone. I chuckled to myself as I laid back down on my cot and shut my eyes. All his wrongs were about to be righted and I would be a free man again.

**APOV**

When I returned to the palace last night after finally convincing the psycho that I had discovered was acting on rogue orders to return the child to me, I was terrified that I would lose the two people who meant the most to me in the world. Bella and Jasper. I had initially befriended Bella because of her connection to the royal family. Over the time I knew her I grew to truly care about her. I could see how much not being with the man she loved was tearing her up, so I wanted to try to do what I could to see that she got that happiness. It also served to get me into the palace. I had thought to use Jasper's reputation to help further my place in Volturi's organization, but I had never really expected to fall in love with him.

When I entered Carlisle's office I handed little Elizabeth back to Rose, and then I began to detail my plan. When Bella dropped her bomb on me I was stunned and terrified, but I knew it would factor into my plan perfectly. Once I had finished laying out all of the details for the family I expected them to give me the cold shoulder. How wrong I was. Jasper took me in his arms and led me to his room. That was when I knew that after this mission I was giving it up for good.

Jasper closed the door behind us and turned to me. I braced myself for his anger, but he simply pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

"Jasper, I have to tell you…" I began, but he cut me off.

"Ali, shut up! You don't have to justify this to me. I understand and I thank you for what you have risked to protect my family. I know that it must have been hard on you. All I want right now is to hold you and know that you love me. I have something important to ask you when this is all done. For now just let me have this night to love you before all hell breaks loose," Jasper said.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around him while kissing him passionately. We made love until the early hours of the morning when we drifted to sleep in each other's arms.

**A/N 2: So did you love it or was it simply mediocre? Let me know by hitting that little button down below!**


	25. AN: New Story

**New Story!**

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of Seducing a Prince, sorry that this isn't the update you were all hoping for. It will be coming soon, I promise! I wanted to let you all know I've posted the prologue to a new story called One Step at a Time. It's kind of personal, especially the prologue so please check it out and let me know what you all think!**

**Thanks,**

**Chloey**


	26. AN: Contest Voting

**Voting is OPEN!**

**Voting for the Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy contest is now open. You can vote until ****11:59pm PST 3rd October**. Please go to the C2 for the contest to read all the great stories. Vote for your favorite two. You can find the voting on the Fornikation Foundation's profile page. Here is the link to it:

**www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/ u/ 1930799/ FournikationFoundation (remove all spaces and change (dots) to . get it to work!)**

**I hope you vote for me, but well there are some seriously kick ass stories in this contest.**

**Good Luck to all who entered and Thank you so very much to all my reviewers!**

**Chloey**


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